Once Upon a Starship Ranger
by Logan the Awesome
Summary: After a traumatic 16th birthday, Tasnia Mercardo loses everything: her friends, her family and her hometown. However, after being saved by Lieutenant Up, she refuses to leave his side as he shows her the tough yet silly life of a Starship Ranger. A comedic take on the well wondered story of Taz and Up.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story that I wrote on my tumblr account, but I decided to publish it here as well. It's not complete, but I think I finished writing it at a good point. It's ten chapters long, including this prologue, so it's not incredibly long. I'll try and update once every few days if people like it. Reviews and feedback and greatly appreciated. Thanks :D**

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><p>Chapter 1: Prologue<p>

_"Adios, mamá_!" Tasnia shouted as she walked out the door of her home. With her backpack slung over her shoulder, and her fiction novel in hand, Tasnia Mercardo journeyed outside the sanctity of her home and headed in the direction of her school. Tasnia attended the local high school...in fact...it was the only high school for miles! She lived in city of Uxmal, Mérida, a small city that was isolated from the rest of the cities in Mexico. Once upon a time there were cities near-by, but over the years, those cities and their people slowly started to grow smaller and smaller. Either that or they would become controlled by robots. How Uxmal, out of all of them, stayed alive for this long, nobody knew. At least 18 years

However, the fact that Uxmal was a small, traditional town didn't mean the city was necessarily safe. The Robot Wars were raging, and since Uxmal was still an "un-modernized" city, it was a perfect target for the Robot Armies. In the past fifteen years, the robots had attacked so many times, people had started to lose track! These attacks, then lead to the men stationed every 10 feet or so, with their cameo attire and big, black zappers.

The G.L.E.E had been stationing Starship Rangers around Uxmal for as long as Tasnia could remember. She saw them every day when she walked to and from school, as well as when her mamá sent her to do the errands. However, none of them stayed for long; they either got reassigned because their talent could be better used elsewhere or they died in one of the Robot invasions. The longest Tasnia had ever seen a Starship Ranger in Uxmal was for a year and a half. But then came Lieutenant Up.

Everyone knew about Lieutenant Up before he came to Uxmal. At age 20 he was a the youngest person ever to become a Starship Ranger and he was known throughout the galaxy for his toughness and his great victories over the robots in Tokyo, London, Moscow, and some small town in the middle of North America that nobody knew the name of. Tasnia had done her research when she first heard that _the_ Lieutenant Up was bringing a group of 100 men to Uxmal, and honestly had no idea why the G.L.E.E had assigned him to the small town. From what she read, it seemed obvious to her that his great abilities would be more needed on the battlefield, not guarding the public bathrooms.

Tasnia saw Lieutenant Up every day on the way to school. He was stationed on top of a hill that overlooked her small family farm. In fact, she could see him from her room if she so chose. Not that she did, of course, but every once in a while she'd look out her window to see what the young Starship Ranger was up to. Usually, he was just sitting underneath the tree on top of the hill, reading a book or staring off into nothingness. Tasnia couldn't help but feel a bit bad for him. Ever since he came to Uxmal (when she was 13) the robot attacks had been fewer, and less destructive. She would wave up to Lieutenant Up every time she passed, just to be nice, but she never had the courage to go up the hill to talk to him.

Today was just the same; Tasnia passed Up's hill to get to school. However, as she looked towards Lieutenant Up to wave hello, she saw that he was looking down the hill at her as well. She grinned and waved to him cheerfully. Tasnia saw Lieutenant Up smile back, and give her a small wave. With a new spring in her step, Tasnia adjusted the position of the backpack on her shoulder and headed off to school.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Lieutenant Up was having a dull day, as usual. The reason why he got stationed in this small town was beyond him, but the logic behind it made some sort of sense. Apparently, Dr. Space-Claw thought that if Up, the most feared Lieutenant in all the galaxy, was stationed in this highly attacked town, then the robots wouldn't attack Uxmal. However, that did mean that Up would suffer long, boring, and quite hot days under the blazing sun, possibly until the Robot Wars were over.

His new life in Uxmal was, as said before, dull, and uneventful. All Up did was sit on top of a hill and watch over the small village. Occasionally, one of his men would come and give a report, but because nothing eventful ever happened, he barely got reports. There was something, however, that Up did enjoy about his new position. It just so happened that the hill where he was stationed overlooked a small, family farm. The couple who lived there was middle aged, and they had a daughter who was in her early teens.

Up saw this girl every day, whether she was going to school or running into the main part of the village for something. He'd also seen her when she was working in the fields behind her house, that is, if you could call it working. Every day, this girl would run into the field as a completely different person. She no longer wore the sundress and sandals that he saw her in as she walked to school. Instead, she was dressed in a pair of cameo shorts and a simple white tank-top with combat boots. Her long, flowing black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a black sweatband to keep her bangs out of her eyes. But what interest him most were the training exercises this girl did—the ones that Starship Rangers in training did back on base.

She practiced them every day, and Up watched her progress for almost two years now. To say she was good was an understatement. For never being in a Starship base in her life, any onlooker would mistake her as a Starship Ranger. Up himself even did the first time he saw her in the fields. She was focused, had sharp movements, and never gave up. These were qualities that the G.L.E.E was looking for in new recruits.

And so, Up waved to the girl every day as she passed by his hill on her way to school. Except today, he let a small smile by at the sight of her enthusiastic attitude. Even though he had never met the girl, she always had a way of cheering him up.

"Lieutenant Up," spoke a stern voice from behind him.

Up turned on his heel, his smile disappearing instantly, and looked at the man in front of him. He was much older than Up. He had grey hair and a wrinkly face that looked like it was out in the sun way too much, but he had sharp eyes that showed no sign of weariness. His name was Keevers; Lieutenant-Commander Benjamin Keevers, who was in charge of the protection mission. Up straightened his posture and gave a salute to his boss.

"At ease, Ranger," said Keevers gruffly.

Up relaxed slightly and lowered his solute, but he let his eyes wander over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the girl who had just waved to him; enter to main part of Uxmal. He tried to make it so that Lieutenant-Commander Keevers wouldn't notice; however, the old man's sharp eyes never missed a single detail.

"Lieutenant!" Keevers snapped. Up snapped his head straight forward once more and looked straight at his boss. He didn't necessarily looked angry, just annoyed. Up didn't dare look Keevers in the eye, he wasn't in the mood to go there. "Lieutenant Up, I expected better from you. You are the last person I would ever expect to allow your guard down to a civilian—a teenage girl, even. Now, I would have expected that from one of the Cadets here, but no sir, not from you. What's the matter? Going soft are we?"

Up's eyes met Keevers' in rage. Everyone on the Starship knew that Up was just the opposite of "soft" as Keevers put it. The last unfortunate Ranger who called Lieutenant Up "soft" was thrown head first into a toilet, just after being pummeled during a training session by Up himself. Of course, Up couldn't do that to his boss; he'd get stripped of his rank on the spot.

"Why would you suppose that?" Up asked as calmly as he could make himself sound. "I was simply observing the girl. I've been watching her for about two years now, you see, and for a specific reason too. You see, Commander, I believe that that young lady could make a fine Starship Ranger one day."

Keevers took a glance over Up's shoulder and studied the girl for a bit. After a few seconds, however, Keevers started to laugh aloud.

"Oh, Up, and this is why you don't work in the Administration office," Keevers chuckled. "How do you think can a girl like that become a Starship Ranger? One: she's probably just five foot. Two: she doesn't look like she could ever hurt a fly, and three: "she" is a girl! My goodness Up, and this from the man who has kicked _men_ out of the Academy because they didn't have what it takes?"

"You haven't seen her fight," Up argued, anger boiling in his chest.

"And you have?" questioned Keevers.

"Do you not know—" Lieutenant Up challenged, but got cut off by Keevers before he could finish his sentence.

"Let me remind you that Javier Mercardo was one of my teachers, as well as Juan Mercardo in my last year at the academy—I even worked with Juan! So yes, Lieutenant, I do know," Lieutenant-Commander Keevers said darkly.

Up didn't know how to respond to this. No, he hadn't actually seen the girl in a fight, but he had seen her do…other stuff. Up sighed in defeat. There was no point in convincing Lieutenant-Commander Keevers once the man made up his mind. But this didn't stop Up from hoping. For some reason, he knew that this girl would grow up and make a fine Starship Ranger.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yes, I know, it's been forever, and I apologize. Exams just got over and that was my main priority for a few weeks. However, I'm back, which means ANOTHER CHAPTER! Enjoy my friends, and don't forget to review!  
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><p>Bright lights and fancy decorations were hung and placed all over Tasnia's backyard. The back porch, which usually was empty, was now covered in tables that were either surrounded by chairs or covered with food. People of all ages crowded the area, enthusiastically talking to one another. In the midst of it all, a teenage girl stood talking in very fast Spanish to an elderly couple. She wore an elaborate pink dress that was fitted down to her hips, and then proofed out and landed at her ankles. The skirt part was made of a pink mesh material while the top consist of a bedazzled sequin design. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in simple waves that framed her face and fell just below her shoulder blades. On top of her head stood a small, silver tiara that sparkled in the sunlight.<p>

"Oh, Tasnia, _mi nieta_! _Cuánto han cercides_!" said the elder woman as she reached up to pinch Tasnia's cheek with her extremely long fingernails. "_Recuerdo cuando era una niña pequeña_."

"Ah, _por favor, abuela_!" Tasnia said with a frown, dodging her grandmother's claws. Her grandfather laughed merrily, and clasped his hand onto Tasnia's shoulder. Though still a bit annoyed, Tasnia smiled up at her grandfather and gave him a hug. "_Gracias por vienen_."

Tasnia had a strong relationship with the people she knew. She had a lot a family, all of whom she loved, but she never had a lot of friends. She was rough, tough and honestly preferred to spend her time with books instead. As she looked around her backyard, she observed that only a mere 5% were kids her own age that she called her friends. Amina, Ricardo and Diego had been Tasnia's best friends since the first day of elementary school, and they had been friends ever since.

However, the four were considered as outcasts at school since they liked to read, and actually tried to do well in class. In Uxmal, nobody cared about grades because all graduates had the same fate. Because of the fact that Uxmal was so isolated, and the nearest cities were run by robots, kids had ended up staying in the city and doing their parent's jobs once they graduated from high school. These jobs consisted of farmers, store clerks, clothes makers, and blacksmiths. They had no choice. It was either that, or have the city disappear like a few of the other Mexican cities. Despite of this, however, Tasnia and her friends had other plans. They all shared the same dream, and vowed they would do anything to get there.

That dream was to become a Starship Ranger. Everyone thought of them as crazy because of this dream, considering that it was almost impossible now a days to get in (the robot wars rose their standards), but the four didn't care. When they were little, they would always pretend to be Starship Rangers, and would attack the imaginary robots and save the day. Tasnia's parents knew about her dream, and supported her 100%, but one of the requirements to be a Starship Ranger was to graduate high school with grades over 90%. Classmates saw this as too much work, but the four saw it as a challenge they were ready to face.

Tasnia spotted her friends by one of the numerous food tables. They seemed to be having the usual competition of seeing who could eat the most tamales. Tasnia politely excused herself from her grandparents and made her way over to the table, only to see Ricardo and Diego stuff three tamales down their throat at once. Tasnia laughed

_"¿Quién está ganandan?_" Tasnia asked Amina, who was watching the scene with amusement.

"Ricardo," answered Amina. "_Él ha comida quince_!"

Tasnia laughed as she watched Ricardo go for the now sixteenth tamale. He noticed her looking at him, and gave her a wink before slipping the tamale into his mouth. Tasnia rolled her eyes, but gave Ricardo a small smile. Amina noticed this and gave Tasnia a sharp nudge on the arm, which earned her a death glare from Tasnia. Ever since Ricardo had asked Tasnia to work with him on a science project, Amina had this assumption that Tasnia had a crush on Ricardo. No matter how many times she would bring it up, though, Tasnia would deny it, and threaten to chain her up to a tree and "accidentally" feed the key to her _perro._

"_Este es numeró dieciséis_!" announced Diego as he picked up another tamale. "_Prepara a ser derrotado!"_

Ricardo laughed as he picked up his seventeenth tamale and easily ate it all in one bite. Diego looked at his friend in mock-disgust as he took two more tamales and stuffed them both in his mouth at once. Tasnia was going to say something about the two boy's likeliness of getting sick, but before she got the chance, her mother's voice rang throughout the backyard.

"_Atención! Atención, por favor!"_

Tasnia looked up toward the house to see her mother standing next to her father, a microphone in hand. The guests turned towards the speaker, and Tasnia's mother announced that it was time for the traditional father/daughter dance. With a smile, Tasnia excused herself from her friends and made her way towards the patio, where her father was waiting for her.

"_Ah, mi hija bonita_," he exclaimed as the two took the position for the first dance.

Tasnia looked up at her father and gave him a smile. She noticed that he already was starting to cry, but hid it well. Tasnia's father was very good at hiding his emotions. He was, in fact, a Starship Ranger when he was younger, but gave it up so that he could be with his wife and have a family. Senor Mercardo looked to be in his mid forties. He had a lot of thick, graying black hair that was combed to the side, bushy eyebrows that almost covered his small black eyes which sparkled from the in-holding of tears.

"_Tengo una sorpresa para mi hija_," he whispered as the Mariachi band started up. The two started to sway to the music, and Tasnia looked up at her father with eager eyes. "_Más tarde_," he added.

The party had been going on for the past four hours, and was still going on strong. Tasnia had been in the center of attention for the entire time, and she hated it. She was no use to many people fussing over her like her mother did. Eventually, she was able to sneak away from her mother's siblings and escape the party for a little while. She slowly approached a tree in her front yard and sat on a swing that hung from a low branch. As she thought about it, Tasnia decided that the Quinceañera hadn't been all that bad; she was expecting way worse.

Sure the dress was way too poufy and pink for her liking and it was something that she wanted to throw into the bonfire and watch as is slowly burnt to ashes. And obviously her heels hurt like hell, and she would rather be using them as darts rather than actually trying to walk in them. _Eso seria divertido_, she laughed to herself.

Tasnia's alone time soon came to an end, however, when her mother came running towards the front of the house and calling for her to come back. With a sigh, Tasnia rose from the swing and reluctantly headed back to the party. However, once she stepped into the back yard, her mother had cornered her, and started harassing her about why she wasn't dancing with any of the suitable men.

"_Es lo mismo que encontrar su esposo futuro ahora!_" she scolded. "_Vas, vas! Quiero verte bailar con un chico antes la fiesta es más!"_

No amount of begging was going to get Tasnia out of this one. Her mother had it in her mind that Tasnia would find her "future husband" at her Quinceañera ever since she was born. Señora Mercardo had made sure that tonight; there were quite a few options for her daughter, which annoyed the heck out of Tasnia. She wasn't into looking for her husband just now, but it was tradition, meaning she had to do it.

As Tasnia wandered aimlessly around the party guests, she felt a warm hand land itself on her shoulder. Confused, she turned around and saw a very familiar head of dark red hair. Ricardo was standing behind her with a single red rose in his hand. Tasnia's eyes widened at the rose. It looked healthy and strong and as red as Ricardo's hair. It was unlike any sort of flower grown in Uxmal (they usually died from the heat and lack of water). He looked down at his feet, a bit shy, which was very unlike him.

"_Hola_," he said in an attempt to sound sexy. It made Tasnia want to puke. Sure, Ricardo could be sexy, but not when he was trying to be."_Esto es para ti_." Ricardo held out the rose to Tasnia, and she forced herself to smile, just to be polite. _¿Qué demonios?_ She thought as Ricardo gently attached the rose to Tasnia's crown, making sure he didn't prick her with the thorns. _"¿Le gustaría bailar?"_

Tasnia thought a bit before answering. Her first response would have been "no", but considering the fact that Ricardo was her friend; she figured she had nothing to lose. Plus, her mother would see her dancing with a boy and finally get off her case about "looking for an appropriate suitor."

Ricardo very cautiously placed his hand on Tasnia's waist, as if he was worried what her reaction would be. Her first instinct was to back away and punch his lights out, but this was Ricardo. Her best friend since she was seven. He didn't mean any harm. Deciding to follow along with the act, Tasnia snaked her arm up to his shoulder, and the two intertwined the fingers of their free hands. Ricardo pulled her in close to him, much to Tasnia's horror, and they started to sway to the music.

Being this close to Ricardo made Tasnia shivered all over; she was surprised he didn't ask if she was cold. In fact, Tasnia was feeling quite warm. And for some reason, she felt a heard of butterflies erupt in her stomach—something she never felt when she was around Ricardo. As much as she wanted to tear herself away from his arms, she found that she couldn't, which scared her even more.

Ricardo released Tasnia's hand and placed it on her other hip. The butterflies grew more intense and, to her horror, Tasnia found herself taking her free hand and wrapping it around Ricardo's neck. The change in position caused the two teenagers to come even closer together, yet, they weren't touching. Tasnia was getting even more nervous. She felt her palms get sweaty and she could have sworn that sweat was rolling down her forehead. She knew she wasn't hallucinating when Ricardo leaned in even closer because she could feel his breath tickling her lips.

"_Te he gustado para algún tiempo, ahora_," he whispered. "_He estado esperando para momento justo."_

Tasnia was shocked. Out of everything Ricardo could have said, he chose to say that. She felt her heart jump into her throat, and she was so warm, she felt like she was about to faint. Before anything else could happen though, the two were interrupted by Señora Mercardo. At the sound of her voice, the two teenagers jumped a mile apart. Ricardo refused to look at both women, but Tasnia had the guts to look her mother in the eye. She could tell her mother was trying to look at her in a disapproving manor. However, Tasnia could see that her mother was thrilled about the scene in front of her.

"Tasnia," she said. _"Hay alguien de tu padre y yo queremos para cumplir."_

Without hesitation, Tasnia left Ricardo and followed her parents, who were headed towards the house. She did feel a bit bad, blowing him off like that, but he deserved it. Tasnia saw her father standing in front of the house with another man. He was dressed in an all grey uniform, had a big, black zapper around his shoulder and a black bandana tied around his forehead. He was much older than Señor Mercardo, had grey hair and a wrinkly, dried up face that, to Tasnia, looked like a dried up apricot, but he had sharp eyes that showed no sign of weariness.

"_Tasnia, les presento a usted_ Lieutenant-Commander Keevers. Keevers _es un_ Starship Ranger."

Lieutenant-Commander Keevers stuck out his hand for Tasnia to shake, which she took immediately and shook firmly. She straightened up slightly under his gaze and tried to keep a straight face.

"_Mucho gusto_, Señor Keevers," she said and professionally as she could.

Tasnia had the hardest time keeping her emotions in. It was her dream to become a Starship Ranger one day, just like her father, and now, she was meeting an actual Ranger! This was literally her dream come true. Despite of her tries, however, her excitement must have showed, for Lieutenant-Commander Keevers smiled at her and patted her on the head.

Suddenly, there was a loud "pew" sound and Lieutenant-Commander Keevers feel to the ground. Dead. Tasnia gasped, her eyes set on the body as it lay motionless on the ground. When she looked up, she saw the right behind him was tall, metal figure; a robot.

Starting then, all hell broke loose.


	3. Chapter 3

**So here is chapter three, and the resolution of the cliff hanger :D Thanks to gypse rosalie for the review! I'm glad that you love it thus far; hopefully you'll approve of this chapter. Reviews are greatly wanted!  
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><p>What happened in the next few minutes happened quickly. The robot fixed its attention on Tasnia and pointed its zapper at her. "Destroy the hu-man," it said. But before Tasnia could do anything, Señor Mercardo appeared from the inside of the house, wearing his old Starship Ranger Commander uniform, and shot the robot with his old zapper. Once the laser hit the robot, it started to spark and shake frantically. Eventually, the robot hung lifelessly from the waist down, completely shut-down.<p>

Tasnia looked at her father and noted that he looked different. The uniform really outlined his muscles (something he had hidden for the longest time) and his black bandana made his hair appear messier like it usually was. Having never remembered seeing her father like this before, Tasnia watched in amazement as her father removed the gun from the dead body of the robot and hand it to her mother.

"_Ejecutas_, Tasnia, _corres rapida_!" he shouted as he took his zapper and started "pewing" a wave of robots that were making their way into the property.

"_Donde_?" asked Tasnia, not exactly sure where to go.

"_En cualquier lugar_," he shouted, still shooting the robots frantically. "_Un lugar seguro_!"

Tasnia didn't have to be told twice. Without asking anymore questions, she picked up the skirt of her dress and ran away from the fire, the smoke, and the robots as fast as she could in heels.

"Let's go, go, go Rangers! Since when did you learn how to run from your grandparents? Pick up those knees! By the time you get to the house, everyone will have died and the robots will have destroyed the city!"

Lieutenant Up was leading about half of the Starship Rangers in the area towards the Mercardo's family farm. Up had seen the explosion, and heard the familiar sound of robot circuitry from his hill. He gathered up as many Rangers as he could in five minutes and then led them towards the house. By then, however, the robots were already invading the Mercardo's farm, as well as a few other farms in the area.

"I want five of you to come with me to the Mercardo's, the rest I want to go to the other farms and stop those robots! Don't even think about coming back until every single one of those damn bastards are destroyed. Let's move!"

The first thing Up noticed when he entered the Mercardo's back yard was the smoke. It was everywhere, and made it hard for him to see. "Everybody, drop down!" Up commanded.

"How will that help us sir?" asked one of the Ensigns from behind him. Up didn't turn around to see how it was; at the moment he didn't really care.

"Because it'll give us the element of surprise on the robots_," _Up spat. "They won't see us sneak up on them, and I would consider remembering your place, _Ensign_."

As soon as he finished talking, Up heard five bodies drop to the ground. Quite satisfied with his work, Up dropped to the ground as well. He noticed that it was considerable easier to see when he was level to the ground, so he crawled around the area on his elbows and knees around the property, ready to destroy the robots.

"Destroy all hu-mans. Destroy all hu-mans!"

The robot's chanting chorused throughout Up's ears. They were approaching, and fast. Up looked over his shoulder and saw at least three robots heading his way. Staying low to the ground, Up positioned his zapper and shot three times. The three robots instantly fell to the ground, destroyed. Up noticed that the smoke was starting to clear so he stood up, hoping it would come to his advantage. He was so wrong, however. A wave of five robots was approaching close behind the fallen ones. The robot closest to Up punched him square in the jaw when he wasn't paying attention and another one struck him on the hip.

Up fell to the ground, mouth bleeding and hip aching. This didn't seem to bother him, though, for he stood right back up as if nothing happened. Up sighed to himself as he reached for his zapper and pointed it towards the robots.

"Go to hell," he cursed.

It wasn't until Up had destroyed fifteen robots that waves stopped coming. Up fell back to the ground, so that he was once again beneath the smoke. He took a deep breath of the smoke-free air relaxed a bit. He then continued to crawl on elbows and knees, but stopped when he stumbled upon a fallen body. Confused at its non-metal like exterior, Up looked at the body below him and let out a yell in anger. Lying in front of him, dead, was Commander Keevers.

Before Up could do anything, however, his radio started to beep. Up reached into his pocket and took out his black, handheld radio.

"Lieutenant Up here, over," he said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

_"Up, this is Johnson. We heard from the Rangers fighting in the other farms, and they claim that they've destroyed all of the robots."_

"What do you mean, 'claim', Ranger?"

_"Well, soon after they said this, another robot appeared and killed them all. I sent Grog down to check, and he came back saying that he destroyed the last of the robots, and that he found the twenty Rangers dead." _

"What's the news on the five others on our end?"

_"All accounted for, sir…no…wait… Grog just said that he saw Yemon go down a few minutes ago." _

Up sighed to himself. The Academy was producing a bunch of idiot Rangers. Everyone who graduated the Academy knew that you didn't radio the Lieutenant until you've surveyed the area twice for the attacking opponent; and even better Rangers knew it was better to evacuate the battleground before you contacted the Lieutenant.

"Do you see any more robots on your end?"

_"No sir, I'm stationed on top on the hill, and all I see is you lying on the ground next to Commander Keevers."_

Up looked up and noticed that all of the smoke had completely disappeared. Carefully, he stood up and surveyed the area around him. The Mercardo's property was completely destroyed. Dead bodies, both human and robot, were scattered around the entire area. Up went around and made sure that each one was fully destroyed by shooting them with him zapper a few times for good measure. As he was shooting, however, he also was able to get a good look at the fallen humans.

Up recognized Ex-Commander Mercardo immediately. He looked exactly as he did years ago in the pictures Up had seen. If anything, he looked a bit older. Lying next to him was presumably his wife. She was a short, chesty woman who had thick, short black hair that was cut at her chin. Up fell to his knees and pounded his chest with his fist. He gave the fallen ex-Commander a respected solute, and then stood to his feet. After scouting the area five times, Up determined that he was the last living person on the Mercardo's property.

That is, until he heard someone scream.

Before he could even register who had screamed, Up had taken off and was already running after the sound. He ran as fast as his legs could take him; his hurt hip screaming for him to stop. He barely recalled the blood that was gushing from his mouth and dripping down his chin. He looked like a killer, a savage killer, but he could care less.

Up heard the scream again. This time, it was closer, and he was able to determine that it belonged to a young girl. This made Up run faster towards the sound, hoping that he would make it to the girl in time. He had a feeling he knew who the scream belonged to, and he prayed that he was wrong.

"_Aléjate de mi, bastardo_!" Tasnia coughed as she hung helplessly from a tree, swinging violently at the robots below her with a long branch.

It was obvious that she had put up a fight against the robots. The skirt of her dress was torn all over and ripped so that it now landed above her knees and the top part was missing numerous sequences and one of the straps had torn. Her feet were bare, her hair stuck up in random places and her tiara now sat by her left ear. She had numerous cuts all over her body that were bleeding viciously, and a bruise that covered her left eyes. Tasnia's bottom lip also had split, which was responsible for the small line of dried blood on her chin.

"Destroy the hu-man! Destroy the hu-man," chorused the three robots below her.

"_Bastardos_," Tasnia groaned as she tried to strike the nearest robot with the branch. That plan sort of back-fired, however, because for one, she couldn't see anything due to the heavy smoke that clouded the area and two, the robot grabbed the other end of the stick and yanked it away from Tasnia's grasp. "_Mierda_," she groaned at the loss of her one and only weapon.

"Hmm…what shall I do with this organic weapon to harm the puny hu-man?" said the robot as it played with the branch in its hand.

"We could destroy it," suggested another robot.

"Yes, but how?"

"Give me that!" exclaimed the third as it snatched the stick out of the first robot's hand. "This is how you torture a pu-ny hu-man skank."

The robot then whacked Tasnia in the stomach hard. She cried out in pain as she felt even more blood escape her lips. She tried to get a gasp of air, but her stomach ached every time she tried to do so. Her throat felt like it was on fire from coughing up so much blood. The bright flames stung her eyes and smoke caused them to burn. Despite of all of this, however, Tasnia still put up a fight. As the robot got ready to give her another blow, Tasnia grabbed the branch with her feet and threw it as far away from the robots as she could.

"_Tome que los robots estúpidos_," she muttered darkly under her breath.

The robots just looked at Tasnia blankly before rounding in a monotonous chorus of laughs. To her horror, each the robots all stuck out their right hand and pulled out a long, metal pole. Tasnia had no idea how the robots were able to pull a rod of metal out of their arm, but at the moment, she didn't care. As Tasnia tried to kick the poles out of the robots hands with her feet, the robots continuously struck her, like she was a piñata at _la fiesta de un niño pequeño_.

After minutes of kicking, Tasnia started to get tired, but the robots were just getting started. Tasnia tried to kick at the robots, but her legs were starting to feel like lead. It took almost all of her energy to kick at the robot nearest to her, and the robot responded by striking her hard in the leg. Tasnia screamed in pain, letting her guard down for a second, which allowed another robot to strike her again in the shoulder.

As much as Tasnia tried, she couldn't move any of her muscles. She felt sharp pains all over when she tried to move and her joints felt stiff. It got to the point where Tasnia let the robots beat her like a piñata, and she didn't care at all. What happened next passed by in a blur. Right as a robot was about to strike her hard in the head, she felt herself falling. She tried to scream, but her mouth was so dry that no sound came out.

Suddenly, she was in a pair of muscular arms. One of the arms set her up straight wrapped itself tightly around her tiny waist. She opened her eyes and watched as the three robots fell to the ground; destroyed. Tasnia felt the arm abandon her waist and her legs instantly gave out.

"Whoa there, little lady," said the voice behind her as he picked up Tasnia once again. Like Commander Keevers, it had an American accent but it sounded a bit southern. Tasnia turned around to face her rescuer and was gob smacked at what she saw.

Tasnia had been expecting someone as old as Keevers to be her rescuer, and was surprised when she was greeted with a pair of sharp, yet extremely young blue eyes. Tasnia determined that rest of him wasn't too bad either. He wore a grey uniform, a bit like her father's, that showed off his muscles nicely, and had spiky, light brown hair.

"Oh, right, you probably speak Spanish. Umm...ho-la. Como esta? Me yamo Lieutenant Up. Y tu?"

Tasnia stared blankly at Up, as if he was a complete idiot.

"I can speak English, dipshit."


	4. Chapter 4

**Extremely embarrassed right now. I let my life take over and forgot about updating. Lo siento my dears. No worries, though. I have, in fact, updated (finally) and will TRY to not let it happen again :)**

**And to answer a question in a review of the past, yes, I did submit this to the fyeahupandtaz page, so that's why it seems familiar. I didn't submit the entire story to it though. You're only going to get that over here :P **

**So...yeah. I believe that is all for now. REVIEW MY LOYAL TUPPERS! And enjoy as well :) This is where things start to get interesting...  
><strong>

Up brought the girl all the way to the Ranger Base, located on the outskirt of Uxmal. Not wanting to trust the girl on her legs, Up insisted on carrying her, much to her displeasure. However, once the two had made it out of the battle field, she had fallen asleep in his arms. When Up finally reached the base, he found the four surviving rangers waiting for him as he walked through the front door. The Ensigns immediately abandoned the game of poker they were playing and ran over to Up. Just as they were about to bombard him with questions, they noticed the sleeping teenager in his arms and shut their already opened mouths.

"I'm going to take her into the Lieutenant's Cabin," Up whispered to the four Ensigns. "There're two extra beds there, and I'll be able to keep an eye on her."

The four men nodded and Up headed down the long corridor towards the West Wing where the dorms were located. He tried to be quiet so he wouldn't wake the girl, but the sound of his boots hitting the metal floor beneath him did make an involuntary echoing sound. Finally, Up approached the door that had "Lieutenant's Cabin" printed on it. Up opened the door as silently as he could and turned on the lights. He brought the girl over to his bunk and gently laid her on top of the sheets.

"There we go," he said as he stepped away from the bunk in an attempt to leave the room. However, for some reason he found that he couldn't'; he had the hardest time trying to not look at the girl. Up couldn't help but think of the girl as a beauty, despite of her mangled appearance and her completely destroyed cloths. He slowly stepped closer to her sleeping form, in his bed, and started absentmindedly stroking her hair. Even though he could feel the knots and tangles, the black waves felt smooth to him.

"Lieutenant Up," said a voice, coming from the doorway.

Up's hand instantly left the girl's hair and he quickly turned around to see Ensign Grog standing in the doorway. Philip Grog was a tall man, but not as tall as Lieutenant Up. He had olive skin, a square jaw, broad shoulders, and long messy, black hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. He stood up straight, and his expression was blank, but Up couldn't help but notice the amusement in the Ensign's small, dark eyes. Not wanting their conversation to wake the girl, Up walked out of the Lieutenant's Cabin, turned off the lights, and shut the door before facing Grog.

"What are you laughing about Ranger?" he shouted gruffly. Instantly, the amusement that once plagued Grog's dark eyes disappeared, and was replaced with blankness, but Up could see a hint of fear swimming deep inside of them. "Well, answer me Ranger!"

"It was a funny joke, sir, told to me by Browing," he said flatly.

Lieutenant Up glared at the Ensign, not quite believing his story, and then walked away. Grog breathed out a sigh in relief and let his posture slouch a bit. _That was a close one,_ he thought, before walking in the opposite direction that Up headed in.

* * *

><p>Tasnia woke up, still wearing her Quinceañera getup, and lying in a strange bed. Unable to remember what happened the night before, she instantly started to panic. Where was she? What was she doing here? With these thoughts in her head, she quickly sat up, but hit her head on the bottom of the top bunk in the process.<p>

"Ah, mierda," she mumbled, rubbing her head as she carefully exited the bunk, making sure she didn't hit her head. When she finally stepped off the bed, Tasnia stood up to full height and looked around the room in awe. She had never seen anything like it before in her life; the walls and floors weren't made of metal like in Uxmal. There were also two bunk beds in the room, as well as two dressers and a bookshelf/cabinet that was hidden in the far back corner. "¿Dónde estoy?" she asked aloud. "Where am I?"

Noticing the door to her right, Tasnia reached for the knob, only to see that there wasn't one. "Da hell?" she asked to herself. How can a door not have a door knob? That isn't possible. Deciding it was one of those 'push/pull' doors, Tasnia tried pushing the door for it to open. Sadly to no avail. "Maybe with a bit more force," she wondered as she backed up a few steps and rammed her shoulder into the door. However, that only caused her to cry out in pain. Gently touching her shoulder, Tasnia noticed that she had a bruise right where she rammed her shoulder into the door. She touched it ever so lightly and instantly cringed in pain.

Suddenly, Tasnia flashed back to the previous night. The memories of the robots' cruel laughter as they hit her like a piñata flooded her mind. The pain she felt from the hits returned as she recalled every strike the robots took at her. Tasnia fell to the floor, her entire body aching, but the memories kept coming. She remembered the bright flames flashing in every direction, and the smoke that made her eyes water. She remembered the dead bodies.

She probably passed a dozen of them while trying to escape, and she knew every single one. The vision of her parents' corpses quickly flashed through her memory, closely followed by her friends Amina and Diego, and finally of Ricardo. He looked the worse of them all. His entire mouth was covered in blood, and he had cuts all over his face. Despite of his unkempt appearance, Ricardo looked peaceful, like he was in a deep sleep.

Tasnia gasped and shot her hand up to her tiara. She fingered it for a while until she came upon something silky. She yanked the object out of her hair and held it in front of her eyes; it was the rose that Ricardo had given her. It was still alive and very healthy looking, and Tasnia decided to study it a bit more. The stem was a bright green while the thorns were a more earthy green and the actual flower was a deep red color, just like Ricardo's hair. Guilt seeped in as Tasnia recalled the dance. This was all her fault. If she didn't just abandon him—if she'd brought him with her to meet Keevers…

_"Excuse me, miss…"_

Tasnia couldn't help it. She had been holding it in too long. Clutching the rose in her hands, she bent over and started crying. As much as she tried to stop the tears flowing, she couldn't. The images of the fallen bodies returned and flashed through her mind; it caused her to cry even more. She threw her head into her hands and her body shook uncontrollably.

_"Miss, are you alright?"_

She couldn't stop. Her dead friends and family was all she could think of. The build-up of anger was getting more and more intense; she was surprised she didn't explode. She screamed in fury, but that wasn't enough. So she started punching the air, wildly and completely out of control, but stopped abruptly when she felt her fist hit something hard. It was rough and comforting, yet stern.

"Miss," said a familiar voice.

Tasnia snapped her eyes opened, and they were met with a familiar pair of blue ones. Suddenly, she became aware of the soreness in her left hand. She looked down and noticed that the rose was in there, crumpled, but not dead. The thorns had left sore spots on her palm, but they weren't bleeding. Slowly, Tasnia started to some to her senses, and she became aware of a hand gripping her upper arm forcefully. She followed the length of the arm and saw that it belonged to the man in front of her. _"I must look like an _accidente de tren_; a complete train wreck,"_ she thought to herself.

"Miss, are you alright?" the man asked.

"Do I look alright?" Tasnia asked hysterically.

"Well…ah…no, you don't actually," the man said plainly.

"Then why do you ask such a estúpido question?"

* * *

><p>This girl was killing Up. She kept on challenging him with pointless questions that he had the hardest time answering for some reason. And the hysteria in her voice, well, that was probably from shock, but still; the girl was starting to scare him. Slowly he released the grip he had on the girl's arms and stood up to his full height.<p>

"Where are you going?" she asked in her thick, Mexican accent.

"I'm going to go to my office and try to figure out what to do with you," he said sternly. "If you want to have say in your fate, then I suggest you come with me."

Without making sure that the girl was following him, Up turned on his heel and walked out of the Lieutenant's Cabin. As he walked down the long corridors to his office, he could sense the girl hot on his trail. It was as if she was worried he would disappear if he got too far away. He smiled slightly at this, though, he wasn't quite sure why.

When Up entered his office, he saw that Grog was already in there waiting for him.

"Sir, Commander Dean is up on Skype. He is ready for Conference Call," said Grog from his position by the door.

Lieutenant Up thanked Grog and entered the office with the girl close behind. Up couldn't help but get a bit excited when he had a Skype conference call. He loved Skype! You could talk to anyone you wanted anywhere in the world. And now, for just a few hundred dollars more, you could make calls to people in space!

With that thought aside, Up looked over at the girl, who was busy looking around Up's office. Up's office was simple and that's just how he liked it. All it consists of was a desk, a table that lined the back wall, a few book shelves stuffed to the maximum with books, and a trophy case that held all of his awards. A large computer was set up on the table, and on the monitor was image of Head Commander Dean.

"Ah, Lieutenant Up, nice of you to finally join us," Commander Dean said with a smile.

"Head Commander Dean," Up saluted as he took a seat in his rolling desk chair. "Glad you could make this call on such short notice."

"No problem, Lieutenant," said Commander Dean. Dean was a fit man, had a rectangle shaped face, and a head of thick black hair. His face contained a bunch of scars from battles past and he also had a scruffy mustache and beard. "Now, let's get down to business. First; how many men did we lose last night?"

"Everyone, sir," said the Lieutenant, "except for Grog, Browing, Timbale, Crouch, and myself."

"And you are positive that all the robots were destroyed?"

"We scouted the area late last night for any stragglers and we found none. I also had the Ensigns search through all of the Robots' means of transportation. We found nothing."

Suddenly, the sound of falling books sounded throughout the office. Up cringed at the sound of his beloved books hitting the floor and then slowly started fuming. It was a rule that nobody touched his books under _any _circumstance; even the Rangers Up knew best, didn't dare touch them. Up turned his attention away from the computer screen, expecting to see Grog amidst the books, smirking like a bastard.

"Grog, you know as well as-" However, to his surprise, Grog was still standing next to him, holding his breath, as if afraid to see what would happen next. Quickly, Up snapped his head towards the bookshelf to see it was the Mexican girl who was amidst a bunch of fallen books.

"_Lo siento_," she muttered as she picked the numerous books off the ground. "I thought I saw The Bully Book…I've heard that's a good one."

Up sighed and turned back to the computer screen. He was quite surprised to see Commander Dean chuckling at the sight.

"Right, sorry," he said as he cleared his throat. "Okay, next order of business. How badly was the town destroyed?"

"Only the farms that surround the main part of the town were attacked, sir," said Up. "And the death toll is high. Everyone at the girl's Quinceañera ended up dead and we found no life in any of the areas attacked by Robot Armies. The actual town, though, wasn't even touched."

"Do we know if the robots had an intention, other than the one about taking over the town because it's the only damn place in Mexico they haven't captured?"

"No sir," Up replied stiffly. Commander Dean nodded and slowly leaned back into the chair he was sitting in. He brought his hand to his chin and started to stroke his beard in thought. Up, though, still sat up straight in anxiety. He had another question he wanted to ask the head-Commander, but was waiting for the right time to ask.

"Is something troubling you, Lieutenant?" asked the Head Commander, coming out of his thought position and noticing Up's anxious expression.

"I just have one more question, sir," he said. "What about the girl? Her entire family is dead and she has nowhere to go."

"Excuse me," said a thick Mexican accent from behind Up. Up turned around to see the girl making his way towards him. She rounded his desk and sat herself on Up's lap, much to his horror. Why did she want to sit there? Couldn't she just stand? Up must have looked hilarious when he was annoyed, because both Grog and Dean were shaking violently from holding in their laughter. Up gave Grog a death glare, which instantly shut him up. "But, I believe that I get a say in my own future, _gracias_. My first request is that I would like to stay in Uxmal. I wish to graduate from the high school I started in. _Dos_, I wish not to stay in _la casa_ of any of my classmates."

"And why is that?" asked Commander Dean.

"They don't like me, and I don't like them. Simple as that," she replied nonchalantly. "Third…" she trailed off before she could finish her sentence. Up looked at her, confused at why she stopped, but when he noticed her saddened expression, he had a feeling he knew why. "Third, I wish to be a Starship Ranger, just like _mi papa y mi abuelo_."

"And who are your father and grandfather?" asked Dean. Up notice from the way Dean was leaning forward so his entire face covered the computer screen and the look on his face that the Head-Commander was interested in this girl. Usually, Dean would dismiss the little girls in pink dresses and tiaras on their head, but the fat lip, numerous cuts, some of which had turned into scars, the dried blood that covered her face, and the confidence in her actions definitely caught his attention. She was a fighter, and Up knew that's just what the Academy was looking for.

"_Mi abuelo_ was Javier Mercardo and _mi padre _was Juan Mercardo. I know _mi padre_ was an ex-commander, and I know that both of them taught at the Ranger Academy. _Mi abuelo _had retired by the time of the Robot Wars, and _mi padre_ fought in them from when I was real little up until my tenth _cumpleaños_."

"You must have heard a lot of stories from them," said Commander Dean.

"That, and the internet helped a lot, too. _Mi mama_ also have their biographies that she read to me," the girl said sadly.

Up could tell she was troubled. Who wouldn't be? He noticed that her shoulders dropped slightly during her monologue, and that her voice grew softer and softer. Up could tell that the girl missed her family terribly, no matter how hard she was trying to hide it.

"Okay," said Commander Dean, having finally made his decision on what to do what the girl. "Unfortunately, you will have to wait until you have graduated high school and turned eighteen before you can even begin the application process to become a Starship Ranger. However, that doesn't mean that you can't be on a Starship Base. If it is alright with Lieutenant Up, I say that, since you have nowhere else to stay, you may reside at the Uxmal Starship Base until you have graduated."

The girl turned around to face Up, her expression begging him to let her stay. Even though Up was planning on allowing the girl to live at the Base, he had no idea how he could resist the puppy-dog eyes (his one weakness) if he wasn't going to allow it.

"It's alright with me, Commander," Up said finally and the girl smiled back at his response. It was a smile that Up was so familiar with. It was the smile that this girl had been giving him every single day ever since he was assigned to this mission, and it always had a way of putting him in a better mood. It was the first time Up had seen the girl happy since the previous night's incidents, and for some reason, that made him feel a bit happy about the situation too.

"Furthermore," Commander Dean continued, "I will be sending twenty more Rangers over to Uxmal for security reasons. If the robots weren't able to attack the actual town, then I have a feeling that they'll be back for more later on. Up, the Rangers should arrive to Uxmal Base by the end of this summer. We'll be holding evaluations so that we don't give you anymore slackers."

And with that, Head Commander Dean faced disappeared from the screen, and instead, Lieutenant Up's Skype account to appear. Up quickly logged off of the program as the girl rose from his lap and started surveying the office once again.

"Alright," said Up emotionlessly, sitting up from his chair and walking over to the girl. "Now that that's taken care of, I'll try to find you a sleeping arrangement and give you a tour of the Starship Base."

"_Gracias_," said the girl, smiling since again at Up.

"So, do you have a name kid?"

Up noticed it took the girl a long time to think before she answered his question. He prayed to Dead God that she didn't have amnesia. But wait, how could she have amnesia? She was able to remember all of those things about her father and grandfather. Then what was taking her so long to answer a simple question.

"Taz," the girl finally said. "Taz Mercardo, and call me a kid one more time, and I will take a knife and throw it at your head."

Up liked Taz already.


	5. Chapter 5

**I would like to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed, liked, or subscribed to this story. Every single email notification I get for this story makes me fell all happy inside :). I'm glad people are still reading this.**

**So here's the dealio. If I get over twelve reviews before the morning of Tuesday, March 20th, I will post another chapter this week, as well as one next Sunday right when I get back from Spring break. No long weeks of waiting ****in between. If not, then the next chapter will be up next Sunday when I get back. So, basically REVIEW PLEASE! I want to see what you guys think, and if you have any suggestions :)**

**So, without further ado, ENJOY!****!**

* * *

><p>Weeks passed and Tasnia was fitting well with the Starship Rangers. Basically, she respected them so they respected her; simple as that. However, Lieutenant Up was a different story. The two became fast acquaintances, and had quite a lot in common. Unlike the respect she gave the Ensigns, Taz would purposefully tease Up, just to get him annoyed. Like, when Up would say not to touch a certain book, she'd go over to the book and lay one finger on it, and boy did he get mad.<p>

_"I told you not to touch that, Ranger!"_

_"_Bien_, one) I am not a Ranger…yet, and _dos_) I barely even touched it. What is one finger print going to do to a book?"_

_"That is the limited copy of the 10th Anniversary edition of the biography of Joseph Walker! There are only two others left in the world, and this one was even signed by him! Do you know how much it is worth?"_

_"I'm guessing a lot, that is, if you have sanctuary for it."_

_"A glass case is not considered as a sanctuary, Rang—Taz!" _

Up figured he must have taken some sort of liking to Taz as well. During his free time, when he wasn't patrolling or shouting at the Ensigns during the morning workout, Up would visit Taz in the Ensign Cabin where she slept, and they would talk about random things. But Up noticed a change in Taz on the night of the Robot Attack. It was weird, and he couldn't think of the right words to explain it. Basically, Taz would talk to him, and they both enjoyed each other's company, but even though Up had this feeling that as Taz was accepting him, he also felt like she was pushing him away. This upset Up, but he figured it was for the best. He was not about to get close to Taz, or any of his other Rangers. Nothing good would ever come out of it, so why bother?

During her weeks at Base, Taz changed in many different ways. For one, she changed her name. 'Taz' was just a shortened version of 'Tasnia'. It was what her father called her when her mother was never around (Senora Mercardo always disapproved of nicknames), and she decided that 'Taz' sounded more like a Ranger name then 'Tasnia' ever would. Plus, 'Tasnia' reminded her too much of her life before the Robot Attack, so she decided that it'd be best if the name stayed buried with her past. It was time to start a new.

There were other little things that changed Taz's life as well; one being the time she got up in the morning. Up liked to wake his Ensigns very early in the morning so they could get a good workout in before breakfast. It really surprised Taz the first time she woke up with the Lieutenant shouting,

_ "Get a move on you slow dumbasses! We are not old grandpas taking a nice stroll in the dead god-damned park!"_

Taz laughed at the memory now, but at the time, it scared the living hell out of her; she had jumped out of her bed and slammed her head on the top bunk again. From then on, Taz made sure she slept on the top bunk.

However, there was one thing about Taz's life that didn't change—school. School had been bad for Taz before, but now, she was all alone. All of her friends had died during the Robot Attack, and that made her an easy target for bullies. Before, bullies didn't dare mess with Taz and her friends; together, they were almost impossible to defeat, but now, there was just little Taz, barely five foot one and easy to toss around.

Taz knew that the bully attacks were going to get bad when she returned to school, but she didn't think they would get as bad as they did. Every morning, the same group of tall, hulking boys would greet her as she entered the school grounds by picking her up off her feet, stealing her books and hiding them all over the grounds. Taz would kick and try to fight back, but they were just too big. One would hold her hands behind her back and the other would hold her legs together so she couldn't escape. By the time Taz had found all her books, she would arrive at her first class in the nick of time.

But the tormenting didn't stop there. During free periods and lunch hour, Taz would spend her time by either reading or doing homework. She would go outside and sit underneath a vast tree that gave off quite a bit of shade. However, the bullies would follow her to her little spot, and torment her, not physically, but verbally.

_"You're so little, you can barely do anything."_

_"I heard she couldn't even get herself out of a tree. Apparently, she had to get a Starship Ranger to get her down." _

_"Didn't you and your friends want to be Starship Rangers? Ha, good luck. You'll never get in; even with a family history like yours."_

_"The Robots probably caught her because she was reading, and not paying attention. What did I tell you? Reading is dangerous."_

_"Apparently, here, let me do the honors and take that off your hands." _

Now, the tormenting about being little, and liking to read was fine, but when the bullies brought up the Robot Attack, all Taz wanted to do was punch the bullies lights out. She even tried once, but they just laughed and pushed her aside. By now, she would have dropped out of school, but considering the fact she _needed _to graduate to become a Starship Ranger, she put up with the torments.

She didn't dare tell Up though. She knew that Up was already worried about her. She could tell by the looks he gave her when he thought she wasn't looking, but the thing was, she had no idea why. Why was he, Lieutenant Up, the most feared Starship Ranger in the entire galaxy, worried about her, _una niña tonta_, when he had other things to worry about?

However, Up had a way of getting it out of her. It was a bright, sunny day in Uxmal when Taz came home from school. As usual, Up was sitting at the table by the door, reading the paper and waiting for her to come home. When Taz entered the Starship Base, she gave Up one of her signature smile, however, this smile was forced. The school day had been awful for Taz. She lost a few of her textbooks, and her favorite Mexican Folktale storybook had almost been thrown on top of the school's roof. She didn't want to worry Up with her troubles, so she hoped the fake smile would fool him.

"Have a good day at school, Taz?" Up asked, not looking up from the day's paper.

"_Sí_, it was pretty good," said Taz, taking a seat across from Up and pulling out her textbooks to start homework. Up, having finished reading folded the paper and set it to the side.

"Hey Taz," he said. "You know how I was talking about the room situation with the new Ensigns coming in?"

"_Sí_," she responded, not looking up from her Algebra II book.

"Well, it turns out that all the beds in the two Ensign Cabins will be taken when they get here."

"Oh," Taz responded, her mind not entirely on what Up was saying.

"So, that sort of means that you'll be bunking…with me," he said, a bit nervous to see what the girl's reaction would be.

"Okay," said Taz simply with absolutely no enthusiasm or emotion.

Suddenly, Up's fist had met the table, causing the contents to jump slightly. Taz's head snapped up in surprised at what just happened.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Taz," Up shouted at her, causing her to flinch. Up sighed out of stress and then looked Taz into the eye. Taz, surprisingly, didn't break the contact like most people would. "Now," he said, a bit more calmly. "You are going to tell me what's got you all wound up whether you like it or not."

"Would you like to tell me the same?" she asked, referring to Up's outburst.

"I shouted because whatever is making you so…un-you is making me all stressed. So, if you don't like me stressed, then I would advise telling me what's got you so upset."

Taz sighed, not wanting to tell Up what was going on at all. If she opened up to him, then that would make them bond even more, and if they bonded even more, then Taz would surly get attached, and that was something she didn't want. On the night of the Robot Attack, Taz experienced what it felt like when the ones you loved were taken away, forever, and she never wanted to experience that again. The pain was too much, and she didn't think she could go through with it again.

However, when Taz look into Up's blue eyes, and saw the plea and want to help her, she couldn't help but let her barriers fall a bit for him.

"It's just some kids at school," she said simply, hoping that Up wouldn't press for more details.

"What have they been doing?" Up asked, anger rising in his voice.

"It's nothing, Up," Taz insisted. "I knew that it was going to happen."

Up knew that Taz wasn't telling the entire story, but he didn't press her for more information.

Evening came, and morning followed. Like the day before, it was a warm, sunny day and by the time Taz's first free period arrived, it was already a nice 83 degrees outside. So, as usual, Taz went outside, book in hand, and sat under the vast tree. However, it wasn't long before _they_ found her.

"_Hola_ Little T," said a voice from above Taz.

"What do you want Marco?" asked Taz, eyes not leaving her book.

"Aw, I thought you were going to be fun today," Marco complained, "and I was hoping that you'd show off to our new recruit; Flint."

"What kind of dumbass would want to be friends with you?"

"Ouch, now I feel offended," said an unfamiliar voice.

Wondering who the remark came from; Taz turned her attention away from her book and looked up at the four boys , towering over her. Three of them she recognized instantly, but it was the fourth who must have been the "new recruit" named Flint, as Marco put it. Taz took a moment to study the boy. He was as tall as Marco, and like most of the boys in Uxmal, had jet black hair and dark eyes. However, his skin color was much lighter than any of the other boys, which threw Taz off for a second. Meanwhile, as Taz was distracted, Flint took the chance to snatch the book out of her hand.

"Hey," she protested as she rose from the ground and started reaching for the book. "You give that back."

"Who's _Joseph Walker_? Is he your celebrity crush from…" he read the back of the book real quick. "…Chicago, Illinois? Where the hell is 'Chicago'?"

"Oh, so now one of you _idiotas_ can read? _Te felicito_! Now give me back my book!"

"Well, just for that remark, you're going to have to reach for it," Flint said and he closed the book and held it over his head at full arm length.

"_Bastardo_," muttered Taz as she started helplessly jumping for the book. It was probably a good foot and a half out of her reach without jumping. The boys laughed at her as she jumped, and started calling her names.

"Shortie," said Marco.

"_Adrilla_," said another.

"_Maní_," taunted another.

"_PUTA!" _all three of them shouted.

"Now I see what you guys were talking about. No wonder a Robot was able to tie her to a tree like a piñata. I bet her family was the same way; no wonder they're all dead."

Flint was probably expecting Taz to stop fighting to get to book back after that comment, but he was so very wrong. Taz kept on jumping and reaching for the book with a new fierce look in her eye, and she showed no sign of stopping. Flint must have seen this, because he pushed Taz very hard as she was in mid-jump. Taz tried to regain her balance, but she failed, and landed on the ground with a _thud_. She cried out in pain, and the boys laughed even harder.

Taz was about to get up and pounce on the Flint, who was starting to look a bit nervous, but stopped when she heard a new voice enter the area.

"Excuse me boys, but I'll take _that._" Taz looked up to see Lieutenant Up, standing behind Flint and snatching the book out of his hand. Flint flinched a bit before turning around. The look on his face when he saw Up made Taz think she was going to _mierda de__sus pantalones_. "Now, if you boys could read, which I'm surprised that you apparently can," he looked at Flint while saying this, "you would have learned that this book belongs to me."

Out of fear, Flint and his gang slowly started backing away from Up, the most feared Starship Ranger in the entire galaxy. They all had the same, scared expression on their face and looked like they wanted to go home and cry to their _madres_.

"What are you going to do, sir?" asked Marco, fear dripping from his voice.

"Well, I was going to do nothing, that is, until you brought the subject up."A chorus of gulps sounded from the four. With a playful smirk on his face, Up turned to Taz, who was still on the ground and held his and out to her. "_Salt-are sob-ray_," he said in an attempted Mexican accent that failed terribly.

Taz smiled and looked up at the Lieutenant. At that very moment, he looked like a valiant knight about to save the helpless princess. But there was just one thing; Taz was no _princesa__indefensa_. She picked herself off the ground and hopped onto Up's back on her own.

"You might want to start running boys," said Up, his Southern accent becoming much thicker if even possible. "Cuz things are about to get rowdy." The boys didn't have to be told twice. Within seconds, they were already halfway down the street, not daring to look back. "Hold on tight cowgirl. YIIIEEEEEEHHHHAAAAAWWWW!"

And so the chase began. With Taz on his shoulders, Up ran after the boys. They chased them around the school once before following them into the actual high school. The boys were chased down a long hallway and past a bunch of schience labs, Taz and Up screaming the entire time, which caused the classes in session to peak out the door, wondering what was going on. After chasing the boys down a flight a stairs, through a crowded kitchen, and across a cafeteria, they finally cornered the boys outside.

"_Bien…bien, m…muy gr…gracios..os,_" Marco stuttured. "Now…"

But Marco couldn't finish his sentence. Up and Taz had already charged and somehow, the boys ended up inside the school's dumpster. Triumphantly, Up lowered Taz onto the ground and slammed the lid of the dumpster down hard.

"_Ay, que dolor_," Taz could hear Flint mumble through the thick plastic lid.

"Serves you right, _bastardos_," Taz shouted as she jumped into the air joyfully. She then turned to Up, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"I don't think those boys will be bulling you any longer, Taz," said Up as he laid a hand on her shoulder and looked at the dumpster in pride. "Oh, and Taz."

"_Sí_," said Taz, looking up towards the Lieutenant.

"Well…two things. One, don't go near my Joe Walker sanctuary _again…_If you want to borrow a book, you can ask."

"Ah, so you admit that it's a sanctuary," said Taz, quite amused at Up's confession.

"What…no…no of course not…that's not the point Taz," Up stuttered. "Anyways, and two, how long has this been going on? And don't say it's just started. That's bullshit, and I know it hasn't."

Taz didn't answer right away. She looked down at the ground, a bit ashamed, and started playing with her hands. "It's been going on for a few weeks," Taz said simply. When Up didn't respond, Taz knew he wanted to hear more. "Basically, my friends and I would get picked on by them but not all that badly, but after they died…" Taz paused for a bit, not wanting to get all emotional around Up; he would never take her seriously again. "…I became more vulnerable, just because I'm so little and don't know how to fight them back."

Like Taz, Up didn't answer right away. By the time he did, Taz was expecting the worse. He probably took that long so he could find the right words to say something bad, but in a polite way. "Taz, I'm going to teach you how to fight."

Taz gaped at Up in surprise. "_Callate," _she said. _"¿Qué realmente_?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello my lovely readers! Here is the next chapter. Sorry, but it is kind of short...honestly, the shortest in the whole story. I apologize in advanced. I would like to also thank **DaisyDoodle** for all of your kind reviews. Every time I read them, I smile, and I'm glad you like the whole "Joe Walker" joke throughout the last chapter. I want to say that it continues, but I wrote this so long ago that I've forgotten. **

**Enjoy chapter 6, my lovelies. And just to put it out there, I did submit this to the fyeahupandtaz tumblr page. I just googled the story a second ago to see what chapter I was on and saw that the fyeah page came up first. So yeah...maybe have been pointless to say, but oh well :D**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6:<strong>

The Starship Base's gym was huge. Even though Taz had been living on the Starship Base for some time now, she hadn't seen the gym…or most of the base as a matter of fact. During the tour Up gave her, he basically showed her the location of the bathroom, the West Wing, and the kitchen, and that's basically where Taz lived. So when she entered the gym, making sure she stayed close behind Up so she didn't get lost, she couldn't help but gaze at it in awe. Up noticed this and chuckled a bit.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" he asked. "This is where the morning work-out with the Ensigns start—"

"—and they just so happen to end right in front of my room," Taz finished.

"Well…we're use to having everyone in the Wing awake and doing the work-out at that time. Actually, you're the first non-Ranger ever to live on a Starship Base." Taz didn't respond. Instead, she watched as Up laid a few thick, blue mats onto the floor. "Come on Taz," he said, standing up to his full height.

Taz nodded and walked confidently towards Up. She stopped when she was a good foot of two away from him. Even as she stood at her full height, Up was still a good eight to ten inches taller. Taz couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated, but she didn't show it.

"Now hit me," Up commanded.

"¿_Qué_?" Taz asked.

"You heard me," Up said, "just try, and don't be disappointed if nothing happens." Taz slowly balled her right hand into a fist and lightly hit Up on the chest. "Oh, come on Ranger, you can do better than that!" he shouted. "You'll never make it into the Academy hitting like that. Now really try."

"I don't know Up," said Taz. "I don't want to hit my friend—it doesn't seem right."

Up sighed. He knew that this would come up; it always did. "Taz, fighting isn't right in general, but sometimes it has to be done, to keep the peace in Outer space." Taz still didn't look convinced. "Look," he said, "during these lessons, I don't want you to think of me as a friend; think of me as a teacher. This is only going to work if you try, Taz. The only way you can become a Starship Ranger is if you give everything you try 110%. Now hit me Ranger!"

With a bit more confidence, Taz hit Up again, except this time, she put a little more force into her punch. She was quite satisfied with it, until Up easily grabbed her fist as it was about to hit him. Angry at this, Taz took another swing at Up with her left hand, and Up caught it just as easily. Taz tried to yank her hands away from Up's, but Up was too strong. Instead, he twisted her arms around and flipped Taz onto her back. With a _thump _and a groan in pair, she landed on her back.

"_Mierda_," she groaned as she rolled onto her side.

"Get up, Ranger," Up shouted, "and actually try this time!"

_And actually try this time!_ Those words swam around Taz's head; mocking her, and making fun of her. Hearing those words made her feel like she failed, and hearing them from Up, her _amigo_, made it all the more worse. Taz slowly rose from the ground, a new, dark look plaguing her eyes. She looked Up in the eye, and he stared right back. Suddenly, without warning, Taz screamed and pounced on Up, hitting and kicking him ruthlessly. However, Up was stronger, and by far bigger than Taz. He managed turn her around so her back was facing him, and to pin arms behind her back to stop the punching.

"Better," Up said, "but still not good enough."

Up threw Taz's arms out of his hands, causing her to stumble a bit, but as soon as she regained her balance, she charged once again. This time, Taz slid on the mat in between Up's legs so that she was behind him. She then hit his legs hard, which caused Up to wobble a bit. Taz used this to her advantage and rammed her small body into his back, causing Up to fall face first onto the mat. Thinking that she won, Taz smirked and turned her back for one second. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, and her upper back was throbbing in pain.

"Better," said Up, "but you forgot one thing: **_NEVER_** let your guard down."

This charade continued for the next few hours. Taz would attack Up, and Up would defend himself, but no matter what, Taz would always end up slammed against the mat and Up would tell her what she did wrong. These little mistakes angered Taz, and drove her to try even harder. By the end of the lesson, Taz's back and arms were so sore that she could barely move them. She was also drenched in sweat, and she had yet to actually hit Up the correct way.

"Alright Taz," said Up as he helped the girl stand back on her feat. "That's enough for tonight; we'll continue this tomorrow."

"No," Taz gasped, clearly out of breath. "We keep going."

"Taz, there's no point. You look exhausted and you aren't going to learn everything you need to in one lesson; it's going to take weeks, months! Besides, it'll only make you sorer for tomorrow's lesson. Come on, I'll take you back to your Cabin."

Weeks passed, and summer arrived. Every day, Taz and Up would have their fighting lessons in the gym. Up had started to treat Taz like he would any Ranger-in-training, ruthlessly and with no mercy (of course that was only during the lessons). Taz improved very quickly. Her punch had become hard, and actually left Up with a bruise or two every night. By the time the new Ensigns had come to the Uxmal Base, Taz could last an entire ten minutes without face palming into the mat. With this achievement, Taz thought she couldn't get any better. Up, however, had other plans.

"Now," said Up at the start of one of their lessons. "It's time for me to hit you."

"_Perdón?" _asked Taz. "Isn't that what you've been doing?"

"Oh no," Up chuckled. "You've been attacking me, and I've just simply been defending myself. Now it's time for you to learn what to do if someone attacks you. It could happen anywhere." At that moment, Up punched Taz in the face. It wasn't hard, but it had enough force to send her back down to the mat. "So you've got to learn how to be aware of your surroundings. You've got to learn how to expect a hit before you're hit." By now, Taz had risen from the mat, but Up kicked her behind the knees, sending her back down to the mat.

"_Mierda_, Up! _Qué demonios?" _Taz shouted.

"And now, Ranger, we have started the second lesson in learning how to fight."

At first, Up decided to take it easy on Taz. He wouldn't hit her too hard, and he made it a bit obvious when he was going to strike. But Taz caught on fast, and after a few lessons, the two were going into their ten minute mini-battles again. That's when Up knew he had to kick it up a notch. He no longer made his attacks obvious in any sort of way. In fact, he would strike while Taz was still on the ground. And his hits got harder too. However, Taz kept fighting, even though she was on her back more than her feet.

It went on like this for two week. Up would strike at Taz, and Taz would either just barely get by it, or land face-first into the mat. In that time, Taz had gotten so many bruises and scars on her that the new Ensigns started to wonder, and even worry about her. One day, after being defeated numerous times, Taz refused to get off the floor.

"Get up, Ranger. If you were in a goddamned battle right now, you'd be dead!"

"No," Taz protested, her voice muffled for her face was on the mat. "It's hopeless Up. It's been two weeks now. _Dos semanas_, and I haven't improved at all! It's hopeless; I'm hopeless."

"You're not hopeless," Up shouted. "You will get there; you've just got to try harder!"

"I am trying, Up!" Taz screamed, tears flowing freely out of her eyes, "I've been trying every single _lección maldito!"_

Though he would never admit this, seeing Taz like this startled Up greatly. He thought he'd seen rock bottom the day after her Quinceañera, but no, Taz was truly shaken; she wasn't use to this kind of defeat. Up wanted to sit down next to her and assure her that everything would be alright; to hold her as she cried in his shoulder…but that wasn't going to do anything. However, he knew that the physical path wouldn't be a good idea either.

"Listen," he said, his voice softening a bit, "(go to act 1 scene 5 and see what Taz says).

"Now," Up shouted, standing up to full height, "Taz, are you ready to get back up?"

"_Sí_, I'm ready!" Taz said, standing up and facing the Lieutenant.

The two stood there for a few minutes, daring the other to take the first move. It was Up who stuck first, and it was a complete surprise to Taz. He had hit her in the back of the thigh and Taz had landed on her back, but she got up right away and faced Up once more. Another pause followed, and Up attacked once again, this time at her stomach. Again, Taz ended up on her back, and it took her a little longer to stand again.

"Are you going to give up, Ranger?" Up shouted. "Are you done with this?" Up got his answer when Taz swept her leg underneath Up, trying to knock Up off his feet. Up jumped over them easily, and Taz sprang up from the ground, fists ready. Up cracked a small smile. "I thought so."

Again, Up attacked Taz, but this time, she was ready. He aimed for her head, but Taz quickly squatted down, avoiding the hit, and when she stood up, she punched Up square in the jaw. Up stumbled back, surprised by the hit and Taz took this time to push him hard on the chest, and Up went flying a few feet back. There was a paused, where the only movements were of the heaving chests of the two fighters. They locked eyes and stared at each other, daring the other to move. Their bodies stood frozen.

"Well, it's your turn to attack, Ranger," said Up.

Taz smiled and happily obliged.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to **DaisyDoodle** for your very kind review. It made me smile :D Luckily there are going to be a LOT of interactions between Taz and the Rangers from now on. And another thank you to **GottaGetBackUp **(I just got your review and I almost started laughing in the middle of my Spanish class). And I must agree, anything Starkid related is AMAZING!...I have an obsession :P Glad you like it!**

**And now, without further ado, CHAPTER 7! *dances like Krayonder* Don't forget to review; they make me update faster, and enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

"Let's GO, Rangers! This is the reason why you were sent to this town! They're already here for Dead-God's sake, and you're in here taking you sweet old time, acting like nothing's happening. Well I'll tell you, something is happening. THE ROBOTS ARE BLOWING UP THE ENTIRE GODDAMNED CITY!"

It was true. The summer Taz was sixteen, and was to go into her third year of high school, was the summer the Robot Army struck again. Despite of the main Starship Base's constant watch on the Robot Armies, the attack was a complete surprise. Up was the first to hear about it, and when he did, he started rounding up the Ensigns and pushing them out the door.

"Now, go out there, and shoot every single goddamned robot you see, alright? And if you don't go out there, and die for something, then I will _kill you_ for nothing. So GO!"

At the mention of this, the Ensigns stopped their walking and practically ran out the Starship Base's doors. Up sighed to himself as he picked up his zapper. "They're too easy to scare," he said to himself. Up was just about to follow the Ensigns when he heard footsteps running towards him. Expecting it to be Ensign Roberts, who was always late, Up turned around, about to shout at the person, but stopped himself when he saw that it was Taz.

"Wait, _espera_, _por favor!_" she said as she ran towards Up. She had on her usual clothes that she wore during her fighting lessons, and her long, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She also wore a red bandana that she found in Up's closet one day while trying to find her boots.

"Taz, you're not coming," Up said simply.

"_Perdón?"_ Taz asked. "Up, this is what I've been training for! I'm ready for this."

"I can't let you go out there. You're not a qualified Ranger, so if something were to happen to you…" Up didn't finish that statement. He didn't want to think of what might happen. "Besides, Taz, if something happened to you…I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. You have a bright future ahead of you as a Ranger. I can't do anything to prevent that from happening."

"Yes, I know," said Taz, "but this will give me real practice on the battle field, Up. Please, Up, _por favor!"_

"My decision is final," said Up sternly. "The answer is no. Now go back to the Cabin and stay there until we get back."

With that, Lieutenant Up ran out of the Starship Base and into the hot summer day. Taz watched as he slowly became a small speck in the distance and sighed to herself. "_Mierda,_ this isn't fair," she said. Her eyes wandered around the room she was in, and quickly fell upon a zapper, probably left behind by an Ensign. A plan forming in her mind, Taz picked the zapper up and studied it for a bit. Taz smiled, slung the zapper around her shoulder, and took off after Up.

The city was in havoc. Buildings were in flames and smoke covered the entire area. The sound of programmed circuits and monotone laughs could be heard under the screams of the people of the city, who were running around frantically. Everywhere you turned, robots could be seen either destroying buildings, or people. The site of her hometown being demolished troubled Taz greatly. This was where she grew up, and now, it was going to be like all the other towns and cities in Mexico; _destruidos. _

That's when she saw it. Through the smoke, Taz could see a silhouette of a tall, still being. She recognized it immediately from her nightmares; it had been haunting her the past year now. The stance, the sounds it made, the glare of the sun off of its metal armor, everything was familiar.

"De-stroy the pu-ny hu-man," it said as it progressed towards Taz.

At that moment, everything that Taz learned from Up about defending herself and fighting became clouded by fear. Forgetting about the zapper that still hung on her shoulder, Taz turned on her heel and started to run. She had to get away; it was just too much. The robot didn't stop, however. It started to walk faster and it started to shoot lazars out of its arm in the in Taz's direction. Taz, being very quick and small, was able to dodge them without worry. _Estúpido robot_, Taz thought.

However, Taz spoke too soon. She was coming near a trashcan when she felt a sudden burning warmth on her upper left arm. The next thing she knew, the trashcan was in flames and her arm was starting to feel worse. Taz looked down and sure enough, there was a thin burn mark on her arm.

_"De-stroy! De-stroy! DE-STROY!"_

_"Kill, kill, kill, kill!" _

The sounds of the robot were getting louder, and clearer, and Taz could have sworn that there was more now. Taz shut her eyes in fear and curled up into a ball. They were coming, and nothing was going to stop them. She was going to join her family _en el cielo. _

_"Kill the puny hu-man!" _

_"Destroy, destroy!"_

"For dead-god's sake, Taz, use your damn zapper!"

Taz snapped her eyes open; extremely confused. She looked over in the direction of the robots and saw another figure approaching her as well. However, this figure moved faster, and more freely, and Taz could definitely say that the "figure" was a man.

"Up?" she asked.

Sure enough, Lieutenant Up was the figure running towards her, and shouting at Taz to use her zapper. Taz looked down at her side and finally realized the zapper. She quickly aimed it towards the approaching robots and set it to "pew" with shaking fingers. She focused the shot, and, without really thinking, shot the zapper. Though it felt like longer, the robot fell to the ground immediately, destroyed.

"I did it," Taz whispered to herself, amazed at what she had done.

"That's great, Ranger," shouted Up, now only a few feet away from the robots. "Now shoot the rest!"

Taz didn't have to be told twice. She focused her zapper once again on a different robot and shot it. It was strange, but when Taz watched as the robot started to malfunction and slowly shut down permanently, she couldn't help but feel like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Smiling to herself, Taz aimed again, but missed the robot and nearly hit Up in the face. Luckily, Up dodged the lazar in time; it only skimmed the tips of his hair.

"_Lo siento, _Up," Taz shouted, cringing a bit.

Up didn't reply. Instead, he rose to full height and took out his zapper. In the blink of an eye, the robot fell to the ground and Lieutenant Up crushed its head with his big, black combat boot. He looked down at Taz, who was still crouched down to the ground and holding her zapper, which was almost as big as her body.

_"Up, Lieutenant Up, come in Lieutenant."_

"This is Up, what's the problem?" asked Up into his earpiece communication device.

_"Up, we've found the Robot's Ship; they didn't use a drop pod." _

"Thanks, Timbale. We'll be right there," Up said back.

At the mention of "we" Taz smiled and instantly sprang up from the ground, the zapper strap falling off her shoulder. Up gave her a small smiled and tentatively clasped her hand in his.

_"We, sir?" _asked Timbale.

"Yes, Ranger," said Up sternly, "we." With that, Up channeled off and turned towards Taz. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"_Sí_, I am ready," she responded confidently.

"Alright then, Ranger; let's go kick some robot-ass."

"_Donde esta _the Robot Ship?" asked Taz as they maneuvered through a section of trees.

"That's a good question," said Up, as he came to a halt. "Timbale didn't say anything about where it was. Is there any place in this town that you think could hold a Ship? What's the biggest site here?"

"Oh, _que es facil. _The Pyramid of the Magician is closest, and it's the biggest site in Uxmal. It's just through these trees, actually."

"Well, I say that we check there first. If we can't find it, then I'll try calling Timbale back."

The Pyramid of the Magician was, by far, the biggest landmark in all of Uxmal. Up figured its highest point was at least 120 feet. The two approached the base of the Pyramid and gazed upon the steps that lay in front of them. Up was beaming, but Taz gulped.

_"Eso__es__un montón__de pasos. _That's a lot of steps, Up," said Taz nervously.

"Nonsense," Up scoffed. "Trust me, this'll be nothing."

Up then started climbing the numerous stairs. With a sigh, Taz followed, knowing her legs would be sore the next morning. Sure enough, by the time Up and Taz reached the top of the pyramid Taz collapsed to the ground. Her legs felt like led. She was sweating hard and completely out of breath. Up, however, didn't look as shaken. A bit of sweat trickled down his forehead, but that was it.

"Didn't that feel great Taz?" Up asked, patting her on the shoulder.

"No," said Taz, not getting up from the ground. "I feel like _mierda_."

"Come on, Ranger," said Up and he hoisted Taz to her feet. "The Ship can't be too far."

Soon, Taz and Up entered a small room inside the pyramid. The inside of the pyramid was stuffy and looked like it was about to fall apart. Everything was made of now crumbling stone that was engraved, and the floor was made of dirt. There were four walls that made up the room, and there was no sign of any door.

"_Qué pasa?"_ asked Taz. "Where do we go now?"

"I don't know Taz," said Up as he fingered the inscribed walls. "Maybe there's a trap door."

"Up, I live here, and there has never been any record of there being a "_trampa de__la puerta_" in this pyramid." As Taz stepped towards Up, she felt her foot sink into the ground slightly. Confused, Taz looked down to see that the stone square she stepped on was indeed sinking beneath her. _"¿Qué__demonios__?"_

As Taz moved her foot from the square, the floor started to shake violently. The force threw Taz off her feet, and she crashed onto the ground hard. Up was only thrown slightly before he held tightly onto the wall for support. He could feel his feet buzzing through his boots, and his legs started to wobble. He looked over to the floor and saw a few of the stone squares parting from each other, leaving a large hole in the ground. Soon, though, the vibrating stopped as well as the moving squares. Up abandoned the wall and ran over to help Taz from the ground.

"You okay?" he asked, checking her over to make sure she wasn't injured while falling.

"_Ay_, Up, I'm fine!" Taz exclaimed, pushing Up away.

The two Rangers walked over to the hole and looked down it. They saw a staircase started at the top of the hole. They also picked up that the pit was extremely dark for they could see about ten steps before the staircase disappeared into darkness.

"There's no record of this on the internet," said Taz, observing the hole with interest.

"That's because it's not Mayan," replied Up. At the sight of Taz's confused look, Up stepped down onto one of the steps, which caused an echo to sound throughout the room. "The steps are metal. The Mayans didn't have access to metal when this was constructed."

"_Los robots,_" said Taz. "They are here!"

"Come on," said Up, taking Taz's hand in him. Taz, shocked by this, quickly pulled her hand out of Up's grip.

"I can walk on my own," she snapped.

With that, Taz took the lead and headed down the dark stairs first, her footsteps echoing at every step she took. Up, realizing what he just did shook himself mentally. _"What's gotten into you, Ranger?" _he scolded to himself.

They traveled down the steps for what seemed like an eternity. It was taking almost as long to go down these steps as it did to go up the ones outside. The worst part was, they were going down the stairs in the dark, and had to be extra careful of where they put their feet. For if you were like Taz, and thought that flying down the stairs recklessly would make the trip go faster, you would end up missing a step or two. Because of this, Taz's foot slipped about halfway down which caused her to lose her footing. She braced herself for the fall, but felt a strong pair of arms against her back instead.

"Steady there, Ranger," said Up and he propped Taz back onto her feet.

"Thanks," said Taz, who was thankful she and Up were in the dark. If he saw her blushing like she was now, she would never live it down.

After a few more minutes of climbing down stairs, the two Rangers finally reached solid, dirt ground. Taz was literally hugging the ground in relief. "I never want to see another _escalera__de metal _again. "_Son__peligrosos!" _

Up laughed a bit at Taz as he studied the area. He noticed a burning torch hanging the wall next to him and carefully took it. He waved the light source around, trying to get an idea of where they were. Ahead of the Rangers laid a long corridor that stretched into darkness. Figuring it was the only path they could take, Taz and Up headed down the corridor.

Soon, they reached the end of the long hallway and approached a large, stone door. Taz tried to pull it open, but it wouldn't budge. So, she tried again, but the door still didn't move. "_Mierda. _Up, I think it's stuck," she said, pounding her fists on the door, only to cry out in pain. Stone was hard!

"Try pushing it, Ranger," said Up.

Taz pushed the door lightly, and it slowly swung open. She laughed, a bit embarrassed.

"_Gracias_," she said.

The room was huge and lit with lights that hung all over the walls. Up estimated that the room covered the entire base of the pyramid; maybe even more. There wasn't much in the room, probably because a huge robot ship took up most of the space. It was large, a dull grey color, and on the side, the words "The Terminator" were printed large and in red. Looking at the ship, Up knew it could carry an entire fleet of robot that could whip out the entire human race on Earth.

"They never left a year ago," Up realized as he looked at the robots. "They've been here the entire time; just waiting for the right moment to strike."

Up circled the Terminator but made sure he stayed in the shadows. Robots were crawling all over the area, and Up didn't have a plan. Soon, Up was in a position where he was able to see the platform that led to the inside of the Terminator. "Okay," he whispered to Taz, "we're going to have to move fast. I don't want to cause a diversion because that would put the robots on high alert. Now, when there's an opening to run straight to the platform, run, and don't look back. Do you understand?"

"_Sí, entiendo._"

"Good, because I think we're gonna have to move…now!"

The opportunity came, and Up and Taz were out of their hiding spot and sneaking over to the Terminator as fast as they could, without making a sound. However, Taz accidentally kicked a small rock with her foot, which made a small sound as it skidded across the room. The robots all turned towards her, but before they could see her, she had hidden behind one of the legs that were holding the Terminator off the ground. She waited, standing as still as she could, heart pounding, and breathing deeply. She could hear the robots approaching her hiding place, and she shut her eyes, praying for it all to be over. Thankfully, a loud speaker came on and programmed, monotone voice announced that all robots outside the Terminator had to go and help attack the town. Taz sighed in relief and watched, out of the corner of her eye, as each and every robot in the area left the room.

As soon as the coast was clear, Up and Taz ran for the platform and scampered up into the Terminator. Once inside, Taz laughed and rested against a wall.

_"Que era un cerrar un_," she said.

The inside of the Terminator was almost blinding. Everything was made of a gleaming white metal that shinned brightly under the florescent lights. The walls, the ceiling, even the tables and cabinets were made of this metal. Taz had a hard time keeping her eyes open for long.

"You go this way," said Up, pointing to a hallway to his left. He then handed Taz a heavy, leather bag. "These are explosive devices that I want you to hide throughout the Terminator. I have the control that will cause them to explode when I want them too. It'll destroy the entire Robot Ship, but we can't do it until we've evacuated the building and made sure no other Rangers are on this ship. So, the quicker we do this, the better."

"_Bien_," replied Taz, slinging the bag over her shoulder and starting confidently down the hallway.

Up watched her walk away until she was a small speck in the distance. He then slung his own bag of explosives over his shoulder and headed in the opposite direction. Hopefully, neither of them would run into any robots and they would get out of the ship in no time. Hopefully.

Taz had no idea where she was going. She just basically followed the hallway and hid explosives in random places as she did. She tried to make sure the explosives were not in obvious places; she didn't want the robots finding out about the plan. It was a while before she turned a corner, and when she did, she was facing the back of three robots. Taz's instinct was to scream, but she stopped herself from doing so just in time. She threw herself back around the corner and crouched down into the shadows. Hopefully the robots didn't notice her.

She couldn't help but notice that the robots were talking amongst themselves. Now, Taz knew it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, it's what her mother always told her, but since when was Taz "polite"; especially to the _bastardos _that killed her _familia. _Taz strained her ears, trying her hardest to pick up on what the metal devils were talking about.

"You heard about the Rangers onboard?" one asked.

"Affirmative," another said.

At first, Taz thought the robots were talking about herself and Up. However, she forced herself to stay still and listen to the whole story.

"The hu-man mind is so easy to manipulate," said the first one. "Did you hear what the Commander did to the Orange Ranger?" (Taz guessed they were talking about Grog, since he had such olive skin).

"Yes, do we know if it worked yet?"

"No appearance has been confirmed."

"Where are the captured ones now?"

"In the holding cell, down this way."

"What is their punishment?"

"Life sentence in the cell…or until we decide to kill them."

The three robots chorused in a dull, un-human laugh before walking down the hallway and disappearing out of sound. Taz was shocked. _There were more Rangers here_? Without thinking things through, Taz emerged from her hiding place and ran swiftly down the corridor. She was going to find those Rangers, and hopefully set them free.

Up decided to go into every room he could and plant at least one explosive. Luckily, all of the rooms were empty, that is, until Up passed by an office. The door was wide open, and Up could hear a few robots talking inside.

"Are our intruders being cared for properly?"

"Yes, they are in the holding cell, as you commanded."

Up guessed that he was outside the Commander-Robot's office. The way it said _cared for_ made Up sick to his stomach. The robots were most definitely not treating their "visitors" well, and it didn't seem to care in the slightest.

Suddenly, red lights started to flash and a loud, blaring alarm sounded throughout the entire ship. Up knew what this was; he had heard it almost every time he entered a Robot Ship. Deciding what to do on the spot, Up took out a brass key and silently locked the door of the Commander Office. He then attached an explosive on the inside of the door and slammed the door shut. He looked inside and met the metal eyes of the Robots. Up grinned, gave them a wink, and walked away. His next mission: try to find Taz and get out of the hellhole.

It was taking Up forever to find her, however. He searched through every room, hallway, and closet he could fine, while still avoiding the robots, but there still was no sign of her. She couldn't have gotten too far; he'd only left her for a few minutes. She couldn't have gone any farther than the end of the holding cell wing, which just so happened to be on the opposite side of the Terminator from where Up was.

When he got there, though, the sight was not pretty. Taz lay sprawled out on the floor, and amidst about five other robots. "_Did she take those down on her own?"_ Up wondered. Her thick, black waves were coming out of her pony tail and were covering her face. There were cuts on her face and arms and blood was seeping into her cloths.

"Up," she choked out dryly. "The Rangers get them out."

Up turned to his right to see three of his Ensigns, faces pressed against the metal bars of the holding cell. With his brass key in hand, Up walked over to the lock of the cell but before he could release the Rangers, something hard and metal punched him in the face. Up fell back a bit and shook his head, trying to clear his vision. Once he could see again, he noticed that there were two more Robots in the area, standing over Taz. She looked like she was trying to get up, but no matter how hard she tried, she always ended up falling back down.

"To get to the hu-man shank, you must pass us first," said the robot on the left. It then stepped on Taz's back hard, which caused her to cry out in pain.

Instantly, Up reached for his zapper, only to find that it wasn't by his side any more. _"I must have dropped it_," he thought to himself. _"Dead-god damn it!" _ Up looked around, trying to find something to attack with, when someone started to whistle. Confused, Up turned his head towards the sound to see Grog, trying to get the robots attention. Up looked at Grog, and Grog pointed down towards Taz. Up looked at the fallen warrior once again, and saw that she was holding her zapper underneath her arm.

Once Up was sure the robot's attention was drawn elsewhere, he lunged for Taz, and snatched the zapper out of her grip. Without standing, Up shot the zapper twice, and the two robots fell, completely destroyed. A small laugh came from beside Up. He looked over to see Taz smiling.

"You did it Up," she whispered, clearly in pain.

"No, I just finished them off. You were the one who destroyed the majority of them."

With that, Taz smiled once again before slipping into unconsciousness. Up rose to his feet, the brass key still in hand, and easily released his Rangers. The three scampered out of the cell as fast as they could, thanking Up for the help.

"You should have seen it Up," said Timbale. "She was so quick, and took out all five of the robots! I never knew she could fight like that!"

Up couldn't help but swell in pride. His lessons really did stick. He then bent down towards Taz's unconscious form and lifted her off the ground. Deciding there was no way she was going to walk, Up kept her in his arms, and carried her.

As the Rangers approached the Terminator's exit, they thought they were home free. However, they were very, very wrong. Before they could even step out of the Terminator, there path was blocked by none other, than the Robot-Commander himself.

"Well, well, Lieutenant Up," he said, looking over the Rangers in front of him; one Lieutenant, three Ensigns, and a teenager. "It's been a while."

"It hasn't been long enough," Up replied, hate spilling out of his words.

"It's good to see you too," said the Commander-Robot. "Now, what shall I do with you? It's not like this hasn't happened before, why, I think I'm just out of ideas."

But before anything else could happen, the Commander-Robot fell to the ground. It wasn't destroyed, but it wasn't moving. Behind the fallen robot stood the third of the Ensigns that had been captured by the robots. He was a young age of twenty-two, and Up figured he just graduated from the academy. He was tall, lanky build, and had brown hair that stuck up in random directions. Up didn't really know Swintly. He was quiet, and liked to keep to himself. However, he was very good when it came to one-on-one combat, though. The Ranger smiled at Up

"It was taking you too long, sir," he said. "I figured I'd knock him unconscious so we could make our escape."

Up gave Swintly a nod and he and the Rangers fled from the Robot Army sight as fast as they could. By the time they had gone up the stairs, through the room, and back down the stairs on the outside of the pyramid (which putting explosives on the wall every now and again), it was evening, and the stars were just starting to sparkle in the sky. The Rangers decided to stop when they were a good distance away from the Pyramid of the Magician. Up set Taz onto the ground, and fished the explosive control out of his pocket.

"Farewell to a Great Monument that has been around for years," he said. The Ensigns all snapped into a solute stance and without hesitation, Up pushed the button. Within seconds, a low rumble could be heard and the Pyramid of the Magician burst into flames.

"_Mierda_," said a voice from the ground. Up looked down to see that Taz had wakened, and was gazing at the burning monument in surprise. "You didn't have to burn the whole structure down! That's been around for ages!"

"It was necessary, Taz," said Up. "If we didn't they could have attacked the city again."

"I know," said Taz with a small smile, shifting slightly so that she was now sitting upright. "I was just messing with you."

After watching the pyramid burn for a few more minutes, Up announced that it was time to turn in for the night. He bent down to pick Taz up again, but Taz refused, and stood up on her own.

"_Parada! _I can walk on my own, _gracias." _ However, she was still a bit dizzy from the loss of blood, and ended up falling over again. As usual, Up was there to catch her, and he scoped her in his arms as well.

"Don't give me that bullshit," said Up. "I don't want you falling down a well or something because you couldn't see properly."

"Hey, that wasn't bad for my first mission, was it?"

"No, it wasn't at all," replied Up, actually quite proud at how well Taz did on her first mission. She wasn't even in the Academy yet, and she could already take down five robots. "You did…great."


	8. Chapter 8

**So...it's been about...what? Seven months? So is it too late to post the last three chapters of this story that I've had written since about two summers ago? Of course not! I've been inspired by an author on this site who I have been talking to recently, shegal92. She says that she never leaves a story unfinished, and I figured "eh, I've got nothing to loose."**

**Here's the deal. Tonight. Right now I will be posting the final three chapters. I know if I don't, I'll promise to do it tomorrow and I'll forget. It's just a silly little story I wrote when I was fourteen that I had planned to write 24 chapters of. I guess for now, 10 will do. If I ever get inspiration to finish, I will, but I'm leaving it off at a good place now. **

**To those who are still sticking by me, I thank you. Your support means everything to me. **

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><p>Taz considered herself lucky when it came to school. She had always found school easy, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it. It used to be bearable when Taz had her friends with her, but after her Quinceañera, everything went downhill. This is why Taz was relieved, almost happy, when her school was destroyed in the Big Robot Battle. She would no longer have to spend 7 hours of her day with her <em>estupido<em> classmates, and watch during lunch hour as Marco, Flint and their gang bullied other students. However, this did mean one thing.

"Now Taz," said Up seriously as he leaned back into his office chair. Up had called a meeting a few days after the Robot Attack to discuss Taz's future, regarding academics. If she didn't properly graduate from high school, she couldn't apply to become a Starship Ranger. "Due to the fact that your school has been completely destroyed, the Head Commander had given us here at the Base, permission to home school you so that you still can 'properly' graduate."

Taz looked up from her gaze at the floor and gave Up a half-hearted smile. She was still shaken from the outcome of the previous battle. Most of Uxmal was destroyed by Robot Armies. Buildings were burnt to a crisp, and the death toll was higher than the last attack. Luckily, the Rangers were able to stop the Robots before they got to Town Hall, and the more important part of the town. "Gracias, Up," she whispered, sadness relevant in her voice.

"And so, a few of the Rangers, including myself, took the liberty of retrieving a few of your school's records and such so that we can educate you properly so that you can graduate. You will have a total of four teachers, me, Ensign Browing, Ensign Timbale, and Ensign Grog. We have all looked at your classes for the rest of your high school days and divided them amongst ourselves. Browing chose biology and chemistry, Grog chose history, Timbale chose Literature and Grammar, which left me with math and…umm...health."

Taz felt herself choke on something invisible as she went into a coughing fit. Up teach her health? That would be...interesting? Ugh, why did she even need to take that class? She knew everything she needed to know about human reproduction. It was simple, actually. A man and a woman have something called sex, which somehow puts a baby in the woman's stomach, which causes the woman's stomach to grown in a very unattractive way, and after nine months, the baby comes out. She didn't need Up to teach her anything; she knew everything.

Classes for Taz started the following day. After Up ran the Ensigns through their morning workout, she started with her History class with Grog. Taz had never been a fan of History, and Grog seemed to think the same. He made the class interesting by relating the American Revolutionary War to the current Robot War, which Taz didn't understand at all.

_"But these are Robots, not other humans! I don't see how these two wars are at all similar?" _

_"Both wars involved two nations fighting against each other," Grog stated patiently. "Not too different, it is, if you get past who is fighting who."_

After History, Taz had her two classes with Ensign Timbale, followed by her class with Browing, and finally, her two classes with Up. She met up with the Lieutenant in the Lieutenant's Cabin, where she was currently residing. She opened the door to see Up sitting at a desk in the corner with the school books opened. He turned at the sound of Taz entering the room and pointed to the seat next to him.

"So," he started, once Taz sat down cross-legged on the chair. "I was thinking that we get the painful, awkward course covered as quickly as we could. If it's alright with you, I'm going to try and do the entire Health Course in one sitting. We might be here a while—"

"Yes, _por favor_, all in one sitting would be very nice."

"Okay, so…let's start from…the beginning, I suppose. Well, first off, a man finds a woman that he really likes, and hopefully the woman feels the same way about him…just remember Taz; most people will be doing this once they are married…of course…it can happen in other ways…like, a girl could get raped, or it could be under the influence of alcohol…it's not a good thing to start doing unless you've settled down with someone, see—"

"_Ay,_ Up, just get to the point!" cried Taz.

"Oh, right sorry," said Up, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and slowly trickling down his face. He nervously pulled on the collar of green cameo shirt and gulped. "So you've got a man and a woman, they may be married, they may not be, they may be in love, they may be under drug influence, or they may be doing it to get back at a previous lover…anyways, they sort of…go into a bed room, even though this can happen anywhere else, and…well…it usually starts with a kiss…"

The next four hours were the most painful, uncomfortable hours in Taz's life. And, to her horror, Up explained everything. From how conception happened to how the embryo grew into a fetus and what happened after the baby was born. Taz would have never guessed the process of creating life was that elaborate, and…disturbing. Up had also taught her the "five steps to know if you're about to do it". Basically, and in PG terms, it went kiss, bedroom, shirt, pants, and underwear. Thankfully, Up wasn't all that good at explaining in detail, so everything was summarized, in a weird, stuttered way. However, once Taz thought the lesson was over, Up decided to review _everything_.

"So, what happens first?" he asked.

"The man and the woman preform conception," started Taz plainly.

Up paused a bit, waiting for Taz to go into further detail, but she never did. "And how does conception work?" he pressed.

"Up, it was awkward enough to hear you explain it. Do you really want me to explain it to you?"

"No, but you have to know the material if you want to graduate." Up laughed slightly to himself. It sounded more disturbed than merry. "I would have never thought that I would have to give 'the talk', and to you of all people."

"_Ay,_ Up, I get it!"

"Good, so you'll be able to tell me how conception works!"

Taz groaned and slammed her forehead onto the desk.

"Itswhenamananwomanhavesexand thewoman'seggandman'sspermjoinandcreatelife," she mumbled. Up stared blankly at Taz, not quite picking up on a word she said, which caused her to sigh in frustration. "_Por favor_, don't make me say it again!"

Up nodded and turned back to the health book that lay on his lap. "I'll trust that you said the correct answer. Now, how can you tell a female sex egg from a male's?"

"One's round and the other's more of a line."

"Good," said Up as he flipped a few pages of the textbook. "Okay, so now we go into the stages of life. What is the…being called when—"

"Embryo, fetus, baby, toddler, young child, child, pre-teen, teen, adolescence," Taz replied as quickly as she could.

"Once the mother goes into labor—"

"—_Ay_, Up, _callate!" _groaned Taz as she uncrossed her legs and stood up from her chair. "Can we just accept the fact that I know this material, and save the both of us from further embarrassment? You gave me…'the talk', and we covered everything I need to know for the test."

Up paused a bit before responding. "Are you sure—"

"_SÍ!" _shouted Taz, knowing that Up was about to break.

"Very well," Up sighed, "but if you aren't able to apply to the Academy because you failed your Health test, it's all your fault."

"I'll review the material before I take it," said Taz, already halfway out the door. "I'll see you later, Up."

Up couldn't help but sigh in relief once Taz left the Lieutenant's Cabin. The past four hours had been extremely uncomfortable for him. He literally forced himself to give Taz 'the talk', and he still did a shitty job in explaining. He should have just showed her the video that he had to show all the Trainees back at the Academy. The video was required to be watched by all of the new Trainees. The G.L.E.E basically enforced it so that the Rangers weren't forming relationships with one another and taking their focus off of getting the job done. Up supported the motion 100%. The last time two Rangers got in a serious relationship…well…it didn't end well.

Absentmindedly, Up picked up Taz's Calculus Book and started flipping through the lessons. He smiled to himself when he recognized the familiar formulas and such. Calculus hadn't been Up's best subject in school, but he was good enough at it that he passed the class with a 90%. Up hoped that Taz would be the same. Learning Calculus was one thing, but teaching it was another story.

"_Maldita sea esta mierda estúpida_," cursed Taz as she threw down her pencil. "I don't get it Up!"

"Oh, come on Taz. It isn't all that hard," said Up. "This is just like learning how to fight; you've got to get back up and try again!"

"But that's different!" protested Taz, even though she had no idea how the two situations were different. "This…this is…hard!"

Up sighed and ran his hand through his spiky blonde hair. He had been trying to teach Taz the Mean Value Theorem for an hour now, and they were getting nowhere. The only accomplishment made was going through an entire package of pencils (Taz had to take her anger out on something).

"Taz, just start by copying down the formula. It's f(x) cost. on [a,b], diff. on (a,b)c."

Taz threw her head down onto the desk and sighed. "It makes no sense to me!" she shouted. "I just completed Pre-Calculus, and that's wasn't tough, but this _mierda_, Up, is tough. Why does it have to be so complex? When will I even use Calculus as a Ranger?"

"You would be surprised," said Up, pulled the textbook forward so he could get a better look at the lesson.

"Well, I don't care," protested Taz.

"Taz, are you really going to let _calculus_ stop you from graduating high school with straight A's? That is a great accomplishment that not that many people get to reach."

"Like yourself," said Taz, more as a statement than a question.

"Well…you see…that's not the point," Up stuttered. "The point is, you are so close, and you are going to get it. You…you just have to keep practicing. Trust me on this."

Taz was about to protest once again, and refuse to work out the material, but as she looked up at the Lieutenant, she couldn't bring herself to doing it. There was something in Up's eye that sort of made her _not_ want to quit.

_"Bien," _she finally said, picking up her pencil for the umpteenth time. "Let's get this over with."

Up read the Mean Value Theorem formula once again, and Taz attempted to work a problem using it. She sighed in frustration as she blankly stared at the page in front of her.

"Don't stress over it," instructed Up. "You're not going to master it in one lesson."

What Up said was true. Taz didn't understand the concept just in that lesson. In fact, she didn't understand the Mean Value Theorem in the next lesson either. Or the next. Like Up said, it took practice, and a lot of it. For three hours every day, Taz and Up worked on the theorem, and finally, by the end of the week, Taz was able to solve the first problem. Worried, she handed the worked out problem to Up so he could check it.

"_Yo no creo que sea correcto," _she stated sadly. "It's probably not right."

Up took a few minutes to look over Taz's work and smiled once he finished checking over it. "Excellent, Taz!" he exclaimed. "You got it right."

"_Que?_" she asked. "You mean it?"

Up nodded and Taz sprung from her seat. She jumped in the air with glee and started shouting excitedly in Spanish. Up, not understanding a word of what she was saying, just nodded in approval and smiled slightly to himself. The rest of the lesson went smoothly from there. Taz, now understanding the formula and theorem, flew through the rest of the problems with no trouble at all.

"Great job, Ranger," complemented Up, as he set the now checked problems aside, "now it's time to learn a whole new concept!"

Taz groaned and slammed her head onto the desk like she did before.

"Is it a hard one?" she asked.

Up, not quite sure what the next concept was on, quickly flipped through the textbook to the next lesson. At the sight of what it was, he cringed slightly, but tried not to show it.

"It's a bit difficult," he admitted, and Taz groaned once again. "But it's nothing you can't handle. Come on, now that you've got an idea of what calculus is like, it shouldn't take as long to learn this concept."

"Coming from the guy who already knows this stuff."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"_Sí_," Taz sighed, her head rising from the desk. "Let's get this over with."


	9. Chapter 9

**I will have one big author note at the end of next, final chapter. Enjoy :)**

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><p>It was tradition in Uxmal that all of the graduating teenagers that lived in the area would attend a "Graduation Ceremony" at the end of their senior year. Taz had never been to the ceremony before, but she had heard enough about it to know what went on. Basically, the mayor of Uxmal would call the names of those who were graduating, say what they planned on doing with their life, and award them with a certificate that 'officiated' their graduation. If Taz had her way, she would not be going to the ceremony. However, if she didn't attend, then she would officially graduate high school, meaning, she couldn't apply to the Ranger Academy.<p>

The years of fighting lessons and small missions had left scars and other marks all over her body. There were a few bruises and cuts from training with the Ensigns and her left shoulder was bandaged from the last fighting lesson with Up. She didn't want people to think that she was being abused by the Rangers. Because of this, Taz had locked herself in the Lieutenant's Bathroom for hours, trying to make herself look decent.

After hours of scrubbing and drying and bandaging and covering with make-up, Taz was finally satisfied with her appearance. She looked into the bathroom mirror, and a complete stranger looked back at her. Her hair, that was usually tangled, messy, and worn in a ponytail, was tamed and fell to her shoulders. Her entire upper body looked extremely pale, due to the heavy layering of make-up that was applied to cover up bruises and scratch marks. Since the event was formal, Taz had found a dress online and forced herself to put it on for the occasion. It was a simple, dark blue, strapless dress that came down to her mid-thigh, and it was the only one she could find on the site without any poof, frill, lace, or extra, unnecessary design. In general, Taz hated dresses, and wished that after her Quinceañera, she would never have to wear one again. However, Up had heard about the event and made her do so; he even offered to pay for it. To be honest, Taz was under the impression that Up wanted to see her in a dress again (probably just an excuse to tease her).

Somewhat satisfied with the way she looked; Taz took a deep breath, opened the bathroom door, and headed into the Lieutenant's Cabin, the room that she shared with Up. Sure, the fact that Up allowed the only girl on the Base to share a room with him, did spark a few rumors among the new Ensigns (Taz, in fact, found these rumors a bit funny, and laughed along with them), but the old Rangers like Grog, Browing, Swintly, and Timbale knew that Up and Taz had a completely platonic relationship. Taz saw Up as nothing more than a friend, maybe even a father-figure, and she was pretty positive that Up felt the same way.

As Taz set her previously worn cloths on her bunk, she was able to catch a side-glance at Up. He sat at the desk where he had taught her math and the painful subject of health. His back was facing her as he shuffled through numerous papers that were scattered across the desk. Taz concluded that he had cleaned up nicely in the hours that she had locked herself in the bathroom.

His battle scars were still visible, but most of them were hidden well underneath his cloths; Up wore a pair of nice, black dress pants and a clean, white, tucked-in dress shirt which had the sleeves rolled up to his elbow. The first few buttons on his shirt were unfastened, and his blue tie was tied very loosely. His hair was still spiked up, but his black bandana had been removed, causing a few small hairs to curl forward and lightly touch his forehead.

"_Qué pasa, _Up? What are you doing?" Taz asked, walking over to stand next to him.

"Just making sure I sent everything to the Town Hall," he responded, setting down the papers he had in his hand. "And by the looks of it, I'm pretty sure I did." It was then that Up looked at Taz; his expression was unreadable. Taz knew what was coming. _Nice dress, Ranger_, or some other sarcastic, teasing remark. To her surprise, though, Up smiled. "You look so grown up!"

Taz was more than shocked by this answer. She stared at Up for a bit, utterly confused, before responding. "_Gracias, _Up," she responded.

"Yes, you look so more _mature_; it's hard to tell that you're the same height as a twelve-year old."

Taz's confused look was instantly replaced with a frown. "Hahaha, _no es divertido _Up," she said, giving him a playful punch on the arm. "_Vamos_, we're going to be late if we don't leave soon."

"And now, I would like to introduce each member of this year's graduating class. First, Ermina Alveraz; Ermina…"

Up was slowly starting to zone out. He had already been sitting for a half hour, and all that had happened was the mayor's opening speech. At this rate, he would be here until midnight, if not later. Up casted his gaze towards the back of the stage where each graduating teen sat, waiting for their name to be called. There were about twelve kids out of the thirty that were in Taz's class before the Robot Attack, who decided to graduate.

The ceremony was taking place in the Town Hall. Up was quite familiar with this place; he attended the occasional meetings in the Town Hall and it was where he went with the other Rangers and Taz after the last big Robot Attack. The mayor of Uxmal had held a ceremony for them, and presented Up with the "Key to the City", which was a plastic gold key that Taz accidentally crushed when she was trying to make her Ranger-famous, vegetable enchiladas, but that was a story for a different time.

After fifteen minutes, the mayor finally finished with Ermina and went onto the next person. Up was starting to get a bit restless; he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous for Taz. Well, graduating wasn't that scary. All you did was go up, grab your diploma, and that was it, but he couldn't seem to tame the rowdy Birds of Prey clawing inside his stomach. Up was so lost in his thoughts that he barely heard the mayor announce the next grad.

"Flint Cacares," he announced.

Up was so surprised, he almost fell out of his chair. Immediately turning his attention away from his anxiety, he looked up towards the stage to see a young man, strongly built and quite familiar looking. He had dark hair and dark eyes like most of the men in Uxmal, but his skin was a tint paler. Up casted a quick glance towards Taz, who he could see, was shocked and a bit angry.

"After the school was destroyed in the Robot Attack, Flint wasted no time in contacting the school's Administration Office for details on how he could still graduate. Flint was born in Uxmal, but moved to Los Angeles, California when he was five. He then returned when he was sixteen to his homeland. Flint is graduating second in his class, which will obviously come in handy when deciding on his career path."

_"So, the son of a bitch could read after all_," thought Up. "_And apparently, he wasn't too bad at school either. Shame, he could go so much farther without a harassment record."_

"Now Flint, would you like to tell us what you have decided for your career path?" the mayor asked, turning towards Flint who stood beside him.

Flint took his place behind the podium, and learned down slightly so that his lips were level with the microphone. "I have not yet decided what I'm going to do with my life," he said, "but let me assure you; I will be doing something great."

The small audience applauded as Flint gave them a small smile, grabbed his diploma from the mayor, and went back to his seat. Up scoffed to himself, and leaned back slightly in his chair. He waited as six more people went through the graduating process in agony. Most of these kids, he could tell, could care less if they were graduating; he figured their parents made them do it. He also noticed how all of their career choices were paths they could take in Uxmal; farmers, storekeepers, and blacksmiths to name a few. Up figured that they didn't have a choice; Uxmal was a poor town and most families probably couldn't afford a further education for their children. However, there was this one boy, posh and groomed quite well, who was going to attend the Farm Planet University, and study to become a Professional Farmer.

Eventually, the mayor called Taz's name. As the small Mexican girl made her way confidently towards the podium, Up could feel the Birds of Prey settle in his stomach. "_She's going to do fine,_" he thought, relaxing slightly.

"Tasnia Mercardo comes from a long line of Ranger descents. Both her grandfather and father are well known Commanders throughout the Galaxy, and have been honored by the G.L.E.E. for their fine work. Tasnia is an only child, and has lived in Uxmal all her life with her parents on her family farm. Recently, however, the farm, as well as Tasnia's family, was destroyed by Robot Armies." Up noticed Taz tense up at the mention of her family's death and her eyes started to sparkle with tears, but she stood her ground confidently.

"Tasnia currently resides at the Uxmal Starship Base, and was tutored privately by the Rangers in her studies. She took her final exam with the other students, and scored number 10 in all of Mexico, which is the highest anyone has ever scored in Uxmal. Tasnia is also graduating top of her class with straight A's."

The audience started to applaud, and Up was positive that he was clapping the loudest out of everyone. Taz looked at him, beaming and extremely excited by this news, and Up allowed a small smile to spread across his face.

"Now, Ms. Tasnia, would you care to share a few words with everyone?"

Taz nodded and swiftly switched spots with the mayor, who pulled the microphone down a bit so that it was level with her lips. Up watched as Taz looked around the audience, trying to find the right words.

"First, I would like to thank all of the Rangers at the Base for accepting me at the Base, and also for the four who taught my classes these past two years. I would especially like to thank Lieutenant Up for being a friend to me these past four years, and being the one to give me a home, and giving me _una familia_ when I needed one."

Taz paused for a second and Up was able to catch her gaze. _"You are most welcome_," he thought.

"Furthermore, I would like to announce my career choice, though it may not be a big surprise for a few people. I have decided to apply to the Ranger Academy, and to become a Starship Ranger, just like _mi padre, mi abuelo," _Taz paused for a moment and smiling to herself before continuing, "_y _Lieutenant Up; one of the best Starship Rangers I have ever seen."

What Taz had said really hit Up. _One of the best Starship Rangers I have ever seen. _Her words swam throughout Up's head, and kept him distracted the entire walk back to the Starship Base. The fact that Up was so quiet worried Taz. "Ay, _why won't he talk?"_ she thought to herself. "_Did I say something? No, of course I didn't; __No he estado hablando todo el camino a casa!"_

As they neared the Starship Base, Taz could feel the tension growing between her and Up. Her palms started to sweat, and she could feel her stomach churning. "_What if he has bad news for me," _wondered Taz. "_What if, for some reason, the requirements changed for applying, and I don't meet them. Oh dead god, that can't be the case!"_

"Taz," said Up, looking down at his feet. They had just reached the Base, and Up had just stopped short of opening the door.

_"Si," _responded Taz nervously, extremely worried at what he might say.

"Now, I know you hate surprises, and that's okay, I can see why…but anyways…the guys…they kind of had this…plan, no…that sounds wrong, umm…they had this idea! Yeah, idea, that sounds better—"

"Up, _callate_, you're rambling again!"

"Sorry," said Up as he loosened his tie. Beads of sweat were visible right on his hair line, and Taz could tell that he was nervous for some reason. "Okay, it'll probably just be easier to show you, so… _Feliz Graduación_, Taz, and I know I misprounounced that."

"_Si, _you did," said Taz, her eyes not leaving Up's nervous form. She watched as he slowly reached for the door and opened it steadily. For Taz, time was ticking so gradually that Up seemed to be moving in slow motion. Eventually, the door opened, and Taz quickly entered the darkened Starship Base. Confused at why the lights were out, Taz turned them on, and was greeted with a loud cheer.

"Our new grad!" announced Browing. "Congratulations!"

Again, four Ensigns cheered and Taz smiled at them. She looked around the main area and saw that the Rangers had covered it in streamers and banners. Balloons covered the ceiling and there was confetti sprinkled across the floor. Taz craned her neck to get a glimpse at the table behind the Rangers. There laid a small cake with white frosting and green writing and a few packages the circled it. Taz turned to Up with a smirk on her face. "This is what you were so worried about?" she asked him in amusement and disbelief.

"No, actually, I was just trying to distract you," explained Up. "Grog messaged me when we reached the Base saying they needed a few more minutes. Apparently, he procrastinated on the cake too long and he hadn't finished icing it yet."

Taz then turned to Grog, the first Ensign she met and her History teacher, in confusion. "I never knew you could bake!" she exclaimed. "If I would have known sooner, I would have given you some assignments for my enjoyment."

Grog simply laughed. "Actually, I don't know how to make cake," he said, his Native Accent dancing on his tongue. "So, if there are shells of egg in there, don't judge me."

"Tazzie!" exclaimed Swintly, who ran over to Taz and put her into a headlock. "You're so grown up! I can't believe it!"

"_Idiota_, don't call me 'Tazzie', we've discussed this!"

"Oh whatever, you're no fun today," he said in mock sadness and throwing her out of the head lock, "and now you've hurt my feelings too!"

"Oh, _que pobre bebé! _Do I need to get Papa Up to come here and put you to bed because you stayed up past your bedtime?"

'Papa Up' was an ongoing joke among Taz and the Rangers. Taz and the Rangers had grown very close over the years, and she considered all of them as "the brothers she never had". Then, it was brought up one day at dinner how Up is so 'father-like' because he is always looking out for his Rangers, so the 'Papa Up' joke was born. Ever since then, whenever the Rangers and Taz got into a childish quarrel, they would always threaten to bring 'Papa Up' into the situation. Up vocally pronounced how much he hated the joke, because it made him seem weak, but Taz could tell Up secretly enjoyed it. Because that's what the Uxmal Starship Base really was, one big family.

"Oh ha, ha, ha," said Swintly as he took a seat on the table next to the cake and packages. "Now because of that comment, no presents for you!"

Swintly picked up the package, and was about to throw it out the near-by window, but Browing quickly locked Swintly's hands behind his back and grabbed the package out of his hands. He tossed it to Grog, who handed it back to Taz. Taz laughed and held the package far out from Swintly's reach. This usually happened every day. Swintly, the jokester of the 'family' would always get on Taz's case and _steal _something of hers. And then Browing and Grog, the over-protective big brothers, would always pin Swintly for Taz and get the object back. The only reason they pinned Swintly down was because the first time he had stolen something of Taz's, she had accidentally put him in the Medical Bay for two weeks.

Out of the corner of her eye, Taz could see Timbale roll his eyes at the sight. Timbale was…different from the other Rangers. Sure, he was a fantastic in combat and his shooting was top notch, but he preferred for there to be order in situations, not playfulness. He was also extremely smart, and preferred books to video games. He was…the nerdy geek of the family. The sour puss. The Boring Brother. The…Percy Weasley of the family. However, this one time, Taz could see the small smile he tried to hide as he tried to shun their playfulness.

"Well, now that you've got the package, why don't you open it," said Timbale.

Taz nodded eagerly and quickly opened her first package. It was from Swintly, and she was most surprised to see small black box wrapped in colorful paper. She carefully opened it, and inside was a pocket knife with a holder that could attach to her belt.

"_No hay manera_!" she exclaimed as she examined the blade. "_Gracias hombre!_ This is _fantistico!" _

"Glad you like it," Swintly said with a smile. "Now just don't go around and stab people in the night with it. I would like to make it through my life without a blood transfusion, and I'm sure I speak for everyone else in this room as well."

That earned him a sharp jab in the ribs from both Browing and Grog. Swintly yelped in surprise and jumped from his perch on the table. Taz shook her head in amusement and picked up the next package. It was from Timbale and ended up being a G.L.E.E. Testing Study Guide book.

"It's for the test you'll take to be inducted," explained Timbale. "Trust me, it helped a lot in the Academy, and I haven't erased the notes I've made."

The next package was from both Browing and Grog, and it ended up being a new, big, black zapper with a detachable strap. Taz gazed upon her gift in awe. The black metal was shiny from being polished and there were no scratches or battle marks on it like all of the other zappers on the Base. However, just as Taz was about to pick it up, Up snatched her present away from her.

"What in dead god's name were you thinking?" shouted Up at the two Ensigns. "Giving a teenage girl, who has not yet even stepped foot into the Academy, a brand new zapper? Are you two insane?" Up placed the zapper back in its box and took the box out of the room. "You can have it back once you've been Inducted!"

Taz groaned and slammed her head on the table, and Swintly kindly patted her on the shoulder.

"There, there, little Tazzie," he soothed. "Don't worry, with Timbale's book, you'll graduate and have your zapper in no time."

" . ," Taz gasped dramatically.

The last package was from Up. It was a square shape that was wrapped in midnight blue paper that matched her dress and it had a silver ribbon wrapped around it. Taz carefully unwrapped the box and opened it. The first thing she found shocked her immensely. It was small and silver and Taz could recognize it anywhere.

"_La placa de identificación de mi padre_," she whispered under her breath. She then looked at Up, very confused, and asked, "but how did you-?"

"I traveled down to your house a while back and as I was going through the damage, I found it. Don't ask where, because I couldn't tell you. I just thought it would make a good graduat—"

But Up was unable to finish his sentence. Taz had placed the dog tag back in the box and gave Up a hug. The four Ensigns stared at the sight in shock. It was sort of a rule in the Uxmal Base that _nobody_ hugged Lieutenant Up under _any_ circumstance. However, they were sure there was a rule against letting a civilian stay in the Base, especially a teenage girl for that matter. It seemed like Taz had come to her senses as well, for she quickly let go of the Lieutenant and murmured her apologies.

"It's fine," said Up, still a bit shaken from the act, "just, don't do it again, especially on that short of notice."

"_Bien_," agreed Taz.

"Now, there's something else in there. Go ahead, have a look."

Taz turned her attention back to the box. She took the dog tag out and placed it around her neck. She then took out the last object in the box. It was a red book with yellow inscriptions that read "The Bully Book, by Eric Kahn Gale."

"I know you've never read it, and you did say something about it when you first trashed my office that one day, so I thought it would be an appropriate gift."

"_Finalmente_!" Taz cheered with a smile. "I've been waiting to read this for ages! _Gracias_, Up."

Up chuckled at Taz's excitement and gave her an awkward pat on the head. The rest of the night went by in a blink. The cake was devoured within minutes. Nobody knew Grog could bake that well, not even Grog himself. Afterwards, the six decided to watch a movie. Without hesitation, Up popped in _The Karate Kid_ which was a major favorite on the Starship Base. It was the good one, with Jackie Chan, because apparently, the Rangers didn't know there was an older version until Taz told them about it, and after watching it, they all agreed the newer version was the better one. By the time the credits were rolling, everyone had fallen asleep, except for Up.

Up silently turned off the movie and looked upon his Rangers as they slept. He had seen all of them grow up, in a way. Swintly had transformed from a nervous, quiet newbie to an outgoing, outstanding, and quite jokester-like Ensign. Browing and Grog turned from silent Ensigns who stayed out of their Lieutenant's way, to men who stood up and fought for what they believed in. And Timbale…well…Timbale hadn't really grown at all in the past three and a half years. If anything, he because more lose and easy-going, but even that was a stretch.

And then, there was Taz. Tasnia Mercardo, the free-spirited young teen he had met at her Quinceañera had transformed before his eyes into a beautiful, tough, kick-ass young woman. She still kept her free-spirit, but she also learned how to stand up for herself, and also how to fight. Despite of all these changes, however, Up couldn't help but still see her as the helpless fifteen year old he found three and a half years ago, and for some reason, Up had a sinking feeling that the way he saw her would become a sort of curse one day.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Up found it in his heart that Taz and the other Rangers were right. He was very 'father-like' when it came to their protection. Sure, he did push them, yell at them, and forced them to do things to get the job done, but he did it for their own good. It he didn't do those things, then something would surly happen to them.

"Ha," Up laughed to himself, "you're getting soft, Up! Get your mind out of there; it's not good for you. You can't get attached to these guys because, like it or not, there could come a day when they die."

As the confession passed his lips, Up couldn't help but feel the Birds of Prey return form earlier and start to gnaw at his stomach again. He forcefully pushed that feeling away and turned over to his side on the couch. He looked at the Rangers and Taz, who were all spread out across the floor. Grog, lucky him, had snatched the armchair before anyone else, and was no slouched in the chair, asleep. Timbale had his back propped against the couch and Browing, laying on his back, had his head rested on Timbale's left knee. Swintly was laying on his stomach and was sprawled out across Browing's chest and Taz was curled up against Timbale's right side.

As Up closed his eyes, he smirked at the thought of the Rangers waking up to see the positions they all were in. Well, at least he knew their screams would wake him up, if necessary. With that on his mind, Lieutenant Up slowly drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**The final chapter :D**

* * *

><p>Every year, the Starship Ranger Academy started taking applicants in mid-June, meaning, Taz had one week to get to the Academy. Up knew this as well. As soon as he could, he contacted the Starship Base about having a replacement Lieutenant come and take over the Uxmal base while he took Taz up to the Merritt Islands to apply.<p>

_"I'll send Lieutenant Finnegan down," said Head-Commander Dean. "Which brings up something else I wanted to discuss with you Up."_

_"You've decided to drop out of the election?" asked Up, a bit hopefully. Head Commander Dean had recently been nominated for the position of G.L.E.E. Admiral because of his firm leadership, kindness, generosity, and reputation as one of the best Starship Rangers in the galaxy. The G.L.E.E. had decided that having a Ranger as their new Admiral could have some advantages in the current, ongoing war. However, the Rangers weren't quite ready to give up Head-Commander Dean._

"No Up," Dean chuckled. "What I'm trying to say is...Up...the Ranger Board and I decided that it's time to relocate you, as well as Ensigns Grog, Browing, Timbale, and Swintly."

Up could feel his stomach do a backflip. He was being what? No, he couldn't! This couldn't be right.

"We have decided that the five years you've served in Uxmal have been enough. You've served well, soldier; you've earned your freedom."

But he didn't want to be free. Sure, Up had begged Dean every day in the beginning to get him out of Uxmal, but that was before—The thought of working with Rangers, other than the ones he was now, was awful.

"See Up, this is what happens when you get attached!" he thought to himself. "You should be thrilled to get out of this hellhole. Now snap out of it soldier!"

_"We'll discuss all of your fates when you arrive at the Base. I'll see you then Up."_

As much as Up tried to force the conversation out of his mind, he couldn't bring himself to do it, which left a constant worry feeling in the back of his head. He told each of the Ensigns about Head Commander Dean's order, and asked them not to tell Taz about it. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be like, and besides, she had to worry about being accepted into the Academy. Up was not about to add more stress into her life than needed.

Lieutenant Finnegan arrived at the Uxmal Base three days later. Up had all the Rangers gathered at the Base's auditorium to greet him, including Taz. She sat next to her 'Ranger brothers' with her duffle bag in hand, which contained all of her belongings. She watched as Up paced back and forth in front of the crowd, as if something important was on his mind.

"_Lo que esta con Up?_" she asked Swintly, who sat to her right. "What's wrong with Up!"

"Umm...uh...w-why would you think something's w-wrong with Up?" he asked nervously.

This confused Taz. She knew Swintly, and he only stuttered when he was hiding something. _"He's probably hiding the reason why Up's so worried_."

"It's okay Taz," said Browing from behind her. "He's fine, just a bit stressed with the Traveling Agencies."

Taz wasn't sure if Grog was lying not, so she decided to believe him...for now. As she turned back around to face Swintly, and challenge him to a thumb war, Browing felt a sharp pain in his ribs.

"Traveling Agencies?" Grog whispered to him. "Taz will never believe that lie! What were you thinking?"

"It was the first thing I thought of," hissed Browing, keeping his gaze forward.

Suddenly, a loud thumping noise sounded throughout the auditorium, which shushed all of the Rangers. Taz casted a glance towards Up, who, standing very professionally, looked straight at the door. Another  
>thump sounded, and Taz could feel the tension throughout the room. <em>"My Rowling<em>! Este tipo debe ser un hijo de puta miedo."

The thumping sound continued, and with each one, the sound got closer, and louder. All eyes were on the door. Suddenly, the door burst open, and there stood a Ranger of great height and muscle mass. He was probably 6'6, and was very well built. Taz studied him from head to toe. He had on big, shiny black boots and black knee pads. He wore the required cameo pants and utility belt. His shirt was a deep forest green, and it really outlined his abs. His head was shaved, but he still wore a cameo hat with the bill facing his back. The Ranger stood firmly, without fear, and had his arms crossed over his chest.

"My god!" exclaimed Swintly. "He's a giant."

"Don't be rude," scolded Timbale, who smacked Swintly in the back of the head for the rude comment.

Swintly gave a small yelp in surprise, which caused a few heads in the room to turn from the Ranger to Swintly. Timbale chuckled a bit, which caused Swintly to glare at him. "Not funny," he growled. Timbale simply rolled his eyes and leaned back a bit in his seat.

"Thank you Johnson," said a small, pig-like voice. "I believe that I can take it from here."

The tall, muscular Ranger grunted and took one step to the left. A few gasps sounded throughout the auditorium, and a few Rangers towards the back had to stand up to get a good look at what stood in the doorway. In place of the Ranger, presumably Johnson, stood a short, curly-haired Ranger. He was probably 4'5 at the most, and was clad in a fitting white tee-shirt, cameo pants, big black boots, and, like Up, he wore a black bandana.

To say this man looked intimidating would be a downright lie. His curly, sandy brown hair was as tame as curly had could be, and he didn't have distinct muscles, yet he wasn't chubby. His face looked like it had been stung by a thousand bees, and he had the rosiest of cheeks. The Ranger looked over the assembly with his small, dark eyes, taunting them, and almost daring them to say or do anything. Once he seemed satisfied with his work, he relaxed a bit and made his way over to Up.

"Lieutenant Up," he salutes in his pig-like voice, "it's been a few years."

"Finnegan," Up greeted with a slight nod. The two had a quick, quiet conversation that Taz couldn't hear a word of, and then Up turned towards the silent assembly. "Rangers, allow me to introduce Lieutenant Finnegan. He will be presiding over the Base while I'm gone. From now on, you give your respect and services to him."

At the mention of this, the silence in the auditorium quickly disappeared. Almost every Ranger was whispering to one another, questioning Head Commander Dean's decision. Swintly made an exceptionally rude comment about it, and made sure he said it loud enough so that the people around him could hear.

"They want _this _puny wimp to take over from Up? I feel sorry for Uxmal; Robots will destroy it within the week with him in charge!"

A few laughs arouse from the Rangers that sat near him, except for Timbale who rolled his eyes. The laughing soon died, though, when Swintly started to scream. Taz jumped in surprise and looked up at the Ensign. She followed his gaze down to his legs, and gasped when she saw a knife stuck in the metal chair right in between Swintly's legs, about two inches away from his crotch. Taz, eyes wide in shock, looked up to see Lieutenant Finnegan, glaring at Swintly with a smirk on his face.

"Maldito, _I need to learn how to throw like that_." thought Taz.

Within the hour, Taz, Up, and the four Ensigns were able to get out of the Base, get into the car that Finnegan and Johnson came to Uxmal in, and were on the road, driving to the Merritt Islands. Because of the fact Mexico was crawling in robot-infested cities, they were forces to take a bunch of back roads to avoid running into any trouble. Also, the Head Commander had equipped the car with a cloaking device; just in case they just so happened to run into any robots. Sadly, the car Finnegan arrived in only fit four, maybe five people if attempted, so the ensigns were all shoulder-to-shoulder in the backseat while Taz and Up took the front.

"Tell me again why you get the front seat," said an uncomfortable Browing, who was trying to get into a decent position while still being squished by Timbale and Grog.

"Because I won the rock, paper, scissors tournament, and you didn't," replied Taz smugly as she leaned back into her big, roomy seat in the front.

The four Ensigns groaned; they were not looking forward to the upcoming trip at all. Taz couldn't help but feel a bit bad for them. They were four big, strong, grown men while she was small and just barely 5'1. However, she did not want to be the one crushed in the backseat, so she didn't offer to trade her spot.

"When's the next pit-stop Up?" asked Swintly, whose left cheek was pressed against the window. "If I stay in this position for too long, my leg's gonna fall asleep!"

"We aren't taking a pit-stop," replied Up stiffly. "We have 48 hours until the registration closes; I don't want to waste any time."

"But Lieutenant," said Timbale. "It's going to take us 45 hours just to get there."

"I know that Ranger," said Up as calmly as he could, but everyone could tell that he was on edge. Something was bothering him. "We're going to have to drive through the night. Here's the deal, you all sleep...or...try to sleep and I'll keep on driving. The first one awake will take over the wheel."

The Ensigns in the back all murmured an agreement before going back to getting into a comfortable position. Taz, a bit unsure about this plan, looked at Up in worry.

"Are you sure you can do this?" she asked. "The last time _mi papa_did something like this, he said he crashed the car in the middle of the night because he fell asleep."

Taz could see Up smile a bit and heard him chuckle. "It's okay Taz," he assured. "I was trained to do things like this; I'll be fine."

The first day of traveling went well. The crew only stopped once in a small, robot free town for a bathroom break, and they picked up some Spaceway as well for dinner. The roads, though, were bare and gave off nothing to look at, so the Rangers had to rely on each other's company for entertainment. Luckily, Grog remembered to bring a deck of cards, so that kept everyone occupied for a while.

At eleven o' clock, Taz decided to go to bed, but the Ensigns insisted on having them tell her a bedtime story before she fell asleep.

"This better not be some lame story, like...The Organic Turtle Gets a Bike Helmet, or something like that."

"Oh, don't worry," said Swintly, "we are all going to take turns telling this story; I'll start. Our story takes place in the lovely country of Mexico."

"Or the once-lovely," said Taz absentmindedly as she gazed out her window. Off in the distance, she saw the once beautiful and traditional area of Poza Rica. It had been one of Taz's favorite vacation spots when she was little. Her parents would take here to Poza Rica during the summer holidays; they would rent a beach house and practically live in the ocean water. It all stopped, however, after Taz turned ten, and the robots had gotten ahold of the city.

"Once upon a time, there was a smart, courageous, and rather dashing man who went by the name of Swintly."

"Modest today, are we?" asked Timbale.

Swintly chose to ignore Timbale's question and continue on with the story. "He was traveling in Mexico with his companions. There was the silent, Native chef of the bunch, Grog." Grog didn't react to his description. "There was the normal guy in the corner, who could never make up a believable lie, Browing." Browing glared at Swintly. "There was the know-it-all, annoying prat, Timbale." Timbale simply rolled his eyes. "There was the small, feisty native chick, Taz."

"Hey, you better watch it esè," said Taz in the most threatening voice she could make while sleep-deprived.

"And the mixed-emotional, rather-cranky-at-the-time leader of the bunch was Lieutenant Up." However, Swintly wasn't able to finish the story, for Up threatened to throw him out of the car if he said another word. The Ensign instantly went quiet and gave a small gulp. Browing took the opportunity to continue with the story.

"It was late at night, and the six were traveling across Mexico to get to their destination. The full moon hung high in the sky and the stars twinkled all around them. Everything was going well, that is, until the leader of the team suddenly fell to the ground. Not sure what to do, his companions checked for any signs of injury or sickness that could have caused his fall. Browing decided that the man just collapses in exhaustion, after discovering nothing attacked him."

"Glad you have so much faith in me," said Up sarcastically.

"Suddenly, the Rangers heard howling noise from the east," Grog continued. "Not sure of what to do, they slung the fallen leader on shoulders and carried him away with them. After traveling for some time, they heard the noise again, except closer. The girl heard sound of footsteps approaching and warned the others. They then ran as fast as they could away from sound and into the darkness of the night. Once they felt they were a safe distance away from creature, they stopped and rest, but the Lieutenant was missing. A blood-curling shriek sounded throughout area; it was close by. The travelers remembered dropping Lieutenant and forgetting to pick him back up. The sound of footsteps returned, and they were headed towards the travelers."

Everyone in the backseat was into the story by now. Browing was staring at Grog, wide-eyes and looking like he had just seen a ghost. Swintly was also staring intently at the story teller, his fingernails in his mouth and his eyes plagued with fear. Even Timbale had turned his attention away from the window and was listening to the story.

"Suddenly," continued Taz, "a chupacabra jumped out of a nearby bush and dragged each of the Rangers off, one by one, and flew them to its nest. The chupacabra tied them all to a stick that was surrounded by rocks. They tried to escape, but the binds were so tight that they couldn't do it. The creature circled its catch, watching over each and every one of the six travelers. Swintly decided to scare it off by kicking one of the rocks at it, but that only drew the chupacabra's attention towards him. Slowly, the creature approached Swintly, eyeing him like a lion does a steak dinner. And then suddenly, it pounced." Taz made her voice louder, and gestured a pouncing movement towards the Ensigns, which made them jump a bit. "The end!"

Everyone was silent for a few minutes as the replayed the story through their heads a few times. It was Swintly who spoke up first, as usual.

"Come on! How come I got eaten?" he asked Taz.

"Payback for what you put in your part of the story," she said. "Now, on that happy note, I'm going to go to bed."

With that, Taz turned off the lights inside the car and snuggled into her chair as much as she could. What she really wanted to do was recline it so that it was flat, but then she would be squishing Timbale's lap. Despite of this, though, Taz was soundly asleep within minutes.

When Taz woke up the next morning, the sun was high in the sky, and Up was no longer driving the car. Timbale, wide-eyed and very much awake, was now at the wheel and Up was now seated in the backseat and was squished against the window. Browing, Grog, and Swintly were all still sleeping, but Up, who was supposed to be doing the same, stared out the window, looking very bored.

"_Buenos dias,_ Up," she whispered with a yawn, not wanting to wake the others. "_Que pasa?_You should be sleeping."

"I'll be fine Taz," said Up, his mind obviously elsewhere. It had been like that a lot lately between the two. It was almost as if Up was avoiding Taz.

The rest of the day went by much like the previous one, except this time, Timbale refused to stop for a bathroom break, saying we were cutting it close as it was. Up never slept. His attention was far away from the childish games, and pointless arguments happening in the car; Taz could tell Timbale was relieved he wasn't part of it. By the time night fell, Up insisted on driving through the night.

"Are you sure, Lieutenant?" asked Timbale. "You haven't slept all day."

"I'm positive, Ranger," said Up, opening the car door and exiting the car. Browing, who sat next to Up, set his legs up onto Up's vacant seat and leaned his back on Grog's arm.

"Ah," he sighed, "I can finally feel my legs."

"But I can't feel my arm," said Grog, pushing Browing off of him.

It wasn't until midnight that Taz decided to go to sleep. She wanted to stay up late, just to make sure Up would be okay. However, sitting in a car all day was exhausting, and Taz has the hardest time keeping her eyes open. Up noticed this and chuckled slightly to himself.

"Go to bed," he said softly.

Taz didn't have to be told twice. She laid her head on the window and fell asleep instantly. Up gave a sleepy smiled at the sight of Taz's sleeping form. Without realizing it, he started to run his fingers through her long, thick black hair, just like he did on the night he first brought her to the base. As soon as his fingers were there, though, they were back on the wheel.

Taz awoke early the next morning to the sound of the car horn. She jerked awake, panting heavily out of surprise. "Holy _mierda_!" she shouted. She then turned towards Up, expecting him to be cussing out a duck for walking across the road, but didn't. Instead, Up's forehead was up against the steering wheel, causing the horn to go off, and the car to swerve.

Not sure what to do, Taz threw Up off the wheel and tried to drive it herself. However, Taz never learned how to drive when she was of age, so had no idea what to do. The car started to swerve even more, causing it to go off the road. Taz tried to grab the wheel and steer the car in the right direction, but ended up steering the wrong way, causing the car to run straight in the direction of a metal wired fence. She tried to get her foot over to the break to stop the car, but it was too late. The car had crashed head first into the fence, causing the hood to become crushed and the motor to spark.

Taz screamed and the four Ensigns jerked awake. They gazed around the car, bleary eyes, and completely oblivious to what just happened. Taz jumped out of the car and sighed in anger.

"Watsdematta?" yawned Swintly, rubbing his eyes.

"The crash caused the cloaking device to turn off, and I don't know how to turn it back on."

"We crashed?" asked Browing, now wide awake after hearing the news.

"_SI HOMBRES!"_ shouted Taz. "While you four _idiotas_were sleeping, something happened to Up and we crashed, which caused the cloaking device to turn off."

Suddenly the Rangers heard a low howl and some footsteps approach the car. The five froze and prayed to dead god that it wasn't a robot.

"Wait," whispered Swintly, "Up collapses, a howl, footsteps...guys, it could the chupacabra!"

"The chupacabra is an old folk-tale _idiota_. There's no such thing!"

"But don't you find it weird that everything in that story is happening! It's like that one old movie...oh...what's it called?"

"Bedtime Stories?" asked Timbale in a bored tone.

"Yeah, that's it! So next, the chupacabra will take Up, I just know it."

"There's no such thing, stupid," said Browing.

The footsteps sounded from behind the car and were headed in the direction of the driver's seat. They stopped right in front of Up's door and the creature gave a low growl. Swintly shrieked, and wished everyone else a good after life. Suddenly, another set of feet started to make their way towards the driver's seat.

"It's the mother," Swintly whispered in fear, sweat starting to form on his hairline.

Everyone looked towards Swintly's window, waiting for this 'mother chupacabra' to appear. Instead, the face of an old, Mexican man in police attire appeared and Swintly screamed. The man looked at the  
>Ensign strangely and opened his door.<p>

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I saw your car crash."

After piling out of the car the Rangers explained the situation to the Officer. Taz wasn't listening, however. She was too caught up in her thoughts. That was her chance. Her chance to get away from her past, to leave Mexico forever, and it had just gone down the drain like yesterday's blueberry icee. What would become of her now? Would Up just leave her? Would they just all go back to the Uxmal Base until next year? Why did this have to happen to her? Taz could feel tears forming in her eyes, but she blinked them back rapidly. She couldn't cry, not in front of everyone. She had to be tough, like Up.

The officer left the scene to go get a tow truck. He called for his dog just before leaving, and Swintly became red in the face.

"I guess that's where the howling and growling came from," he said shyly.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Taz. "We've got no car, very little money, and the body of our unconscious Lieutenant to carry around."

She didn't wait for the reply. Instead, she started to curse in Spanish stormed off a little ways in an attempt to isolate herself from the others. The four Ensigns stood awkwardly, not so sure what to do, having not seen Taz this emotional before.

"I can fix the Lieutenant," said Grog as he pulled Up out of the driver's seat. After throwing him onto the ground and bending his body in some very uncomfortable ways, Up awoke with a yelp.

"What happened?" he asked. "Where are we? Why am I not in the car? What's going on?"

"We'll tell you later Up," said Browing as he helped the Lieutenant to his feet.

After looking over the Rangers in front of him, Up quickly realized something. "Wait a minute, where's Taz?" Up notices her seated form off a little ways and he sighed to himself. "I'll be back," he said.

By the time he got to Taz, she had her face buried in her arms and he could hear a soft, weeping sound escape her lips. Up sighed and sat down next to his friend.

"What's the matter, Taz?" he asked, looking out at the scene in front of him.

"_Esto es una mierda_, Up! _El coche se estrelló y no vamos a llegar a la base en el tiempo. Yo era un imbécil, ¿por qué dejar de conducir. Es Todo es mi culpa. Oh, mierda, ahora tengo que esperar todo un año para aplicar_—"

"Whoa, Taz, you're rambling. English please."

Taz sighed, slowly lifted her head, and looked straight ahead. Her eyes were red and puffy. Up figured it was from crying. "We're not going to make it," she said. "The car is wrecked and I'm not going to be a Starship Ranger this year. I'll have to wait."

"So you're giving up?" asked Up, looking down at Taz.

"What else can I do?"

"You can get back up," said Up as he rose from the ground. He sounded very serious, but Taz knew he was joking. He held out his hand to help Taz up. "So, what's your decision, Ranger? Are you going to sit here and let a camel eat your hair?"

"Camels don't live in Mexico, Up," said Taz with a small smile.

"Are you going to slowly rot and decay, like everything else in this area? Are you just going to sit here while another Trainee Ranger kicks everyone's ass instead of you?"

By now, Taz was laughing. It was as if she wasn't mad just a few minutes ago. Up always had a way of cheering her up, no matter how upset she was. Taz grabbed Up's offered hand and he pulled her off the ground. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"But what do we do now?" she asked him.

"Lieutenant Up!" called Timbale's voice from behind them. The two turned around to see the Ensign making his way over to them. "Look over there," he said pointing to the fence.

Taz and Up made their way towards the metal wire and looked past the bushes. About 100 feet from the bushes was the entrance to a small airport. Up grinned and told everyone to get their duffle bags from the car. Once everyone got their belongings, they jumped over the fence, maneuvered their way through the bushes, and ran as fast as they could, across the small field and towards the airport.

"How much time have we got?" asked Taz as she and Up exited the taxi cab and ran towards the Main Starship Base entrance. She was in such a rush, that she didn't have time to marvel over the many buildings that made up the base, or the classy, memorabilia they used as the entrance room or to even realize that she was at _the_Official Starship Base.

"Five minutes," said Up, looking at his watch as they ran towards the elevators. "We need to go to the third floor."

By the time the elevator showed up, Taz was in it and had pushed the third floor button so quickly that the doors almost closed in on Up. The two rode the elevator in silence. Taz was taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, though, it wasn't working. Her palms were sweating violently, and it felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest. Finally, the doors opened and the two made a mad rush to  
>the Head of Administration's Office.<p>

After rushing through a few corridors and making a turn or two, they arrived at the Office just as the Head was leaving. She was a tall, thin, and wore very professional cloths. She turned abruptly when Up and Taz came to a halt in front of her door and smiled at the two warmly.

"Lieutenant Up," she greeted. "The Head Commander said that you would be showing up with a new recruit."

"Hello Gloria," said Up, a bit out of breath. "Are you still taking new recruits for the Academy? I know...I'm really late but we had a few accidents along the way."

"Come on in you two," she said, "and I'll get you set up."

Gloria unlocked her door and let herself in. Taz looked at Up, a wave of relief hitting her, and cried out in joy.

"Up! _Lo hicimos_, Up! _Yo no lo creo, lo hicimos! _I'm going to get in!"

"See, I told you we'd make it," he said.

The two started to go in for a hug, but soon remembered Up's rule against hugging. Instead, Up gave Taz a proud slap on the back and Taz scratched behind her ear awkwardly. The two then went into the Administrator's Office and shut the door behind them; Taz ecstatic and Up as proud as could be.

* * *

><p><strong>Starship has to be one of my favorite nonofficial musicals ever. When it first came out, I knew I had to write the backstory for Up and Taz; however, I was beaten to it by quicker writers. I know there's a ton out there, but this is my own version. To those who gave this story a chance, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Writing is a hard business, but in a way, fanfiction is just as difficult. <strong>

**Alas, I don't know if I will be posting any more after this. I plan to finish off all my stories at some point, but who knows. If something comes up, I'll be sure to post it here :D**

**Love you all,**

**Logan**


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